Knee and Hip Pain

[Ivan]

I know the first thing many of you will say is to go to my GP but that's not really an option during lockdown, and I don't want to worry my parents as I am still at home.

So I have been stretching quite often whilst I have been at home, mostly once (or sometimes twice) daily as I want to attain my splits. I also have Zoom Taekwondo sessions quite frequently throughout the week. I feel as if so much training has made me knees feel tired as I also do a good workout every 2 days to maintain my fitness.

I've had my hip pain for a while and I believe it's because my hips are not strong or flexible enough, and I just wanted to ask if you guys share the same opinion? My hip pain only occurs when I try doing kicks or kicking combinations (such as roundhouse kick to jump switch roundhouse kick) that require a lot of hip movement, or if I kick too high on the roundhouse kick.

My knee pain also occurs when stretching. It is located on the outside of my knee, and sometimes the weird (sharp) pain extends upwards and downwards on the outside of my leg. It happens when I do the box splits stretch, and when I sit down on the ground, spread my legs as wide as I can and push myself up against the wall. Is this a normal pain? Is this just my tendons stretching out on my knee? It also occurs when I kick too high, or I haven't pivoted my foot enough for the height I am kicking at.

Sometimes the hip and knee pain seem to happen at the same time. Could this be serious? Sorry for asking on here, I am a bit of a hypochondriac.

 

[dvcochran]

I will parrot your opening comment; go see a GP or an Orthopedists.
Sharp pain on the Outside knees when doing the splits seems strange to me. Box splits generally stretch the inner leg more.
It could be from fatigue but better safe than sorry. You only get one pair of legs.

 

[isshinryuronin]

If you're not planning on seeing a medical professional soon, consider this:

Maybe you are overtraining. Try skipping one workout per week, and instead, get a double cheeseburger, shake and fries, then take a nap. That's my plan for tomorrow, and I think I'll feel great afterwards.

 

[jobo]

I know the first thing many of you will say is to go to my GP but that's not really an option during lockdown, and I don't want to worry my parents as I am still at home.

So I have been stretching quite often whilst I have been at home, mostly once (or sometimes twice) daily as I want to attain my splits. I also have Zoom Taekwondo sessions quite frequently throughout the week. I feel as if so much training has made me knees feel tired as I also do a good workout every 2 days to maintain my fitness.

I've had my hip pain for a while and I believe it's because my hips are not strong or flexible enough, and I just wanted to ask if you guys share the same opinion? My hip pain only occurs when I try doing kicks or kicking combinations (such as roundhouse kick to jump switch roundhouse kick) that require a lot of hip movement, or if I kick too high on the roundhouse kick.

My knee pain also occurs when stretching. It is located on the outside of my knee, and sometimes the weird (sharp) pain extends upwards and downwards on the outside of my leg. It happens when I do the box splits stretch, and when I sit down on the ground, spread my legs as wide as I can and push myself up against the wall. Is this a normal pain? Is this just my tendons stretching out on my knee? It also occurs when I kick too high, or I haven't pivoted my foot enough for the height I am kicking at.

Sometimes the hip and knee pain seem to happen at the same time. Could this be serious? Sorry for asking on here, I am a bit of a hypochondriac.

of course its not " serious" your moving your body at the extrems of movement, of course its going to hurt a bit, it shouldnt hurt a lot, if it does go at it more progressively.

i think ive said before that you need more down time in your training to let things heal and for adaptations to take place, you dont really have to stop training though you possibly should, just do something else that stresses some where else

it wont slow down your progress and might very well speed it up

 

[_Simon_]

What the others said about not overdoing it and incorporating more rest definitely is something to keep in mind.

In terms of the pain on the outside of the knee and leg, may be IT band related, but I won't diagnose anything on here. Me personally, I'd see a physiotherapist instead of a GP for this sort of issue, but that's me.

Loosening up the IT band (a point of debate in the fitness/physio community, but many very knowledgable people have had it work wonders with clients) through foam rolling etc.

And yes, everything is related for sure . I know with knee pain that it's certainly not always the knee that is the root issue, and in my knee rehab program there's definitely work in there to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings and calves, as well as mobility work.

Hope you get to the bottom of it and that it feels better soon man

 

[Xue Sheng]

As said, see a doctor...and stop the stretching that is painful, you are likely only doing more damage

 

[jobo]

As said, see a doctor...and stop the stretching that is painful, you are likely only doing more damage

going to an nhs doctor and saying it hurts when i kick head high, is only likely to concluded with them saying" stop kicking head high," on list for treatment that included people needing hip and knee surgery, particularlu when all such has been canceled a very fit young man doing high kicks isnt going to feature very prominently, he wont even get through the door

i went, pre covid with a sore hand that stopped me punching, i was sent away with a flea in my ear for wasting their time

 

[Harry Flannagan]

A week of observing the pain with rest and mild stretching intended for the pained area is good before going directly to a doctor, if the pain persists and worsens or with swelling obviously go for that doc you'll never know. Don't prolong your agony for more than a week.

 

[Yokozuna514]

An osteopath can help you find the source of the issue and so could a sports therapist. Both would typically ask questions and examine you before giving you their opinion. They would also be in a better position to recommend if seeing a GP is your best course of action.

I suspect, from what you said in your initial post, you are pushing your body beyond what it is capable of handling at the moment. You do want to push yourself and challenge yourself always, however, that is why a Coach/Sensei/Sifu can be so important to your progression because anyone worth their salt should be able to help you determine if you are pushing your body too "hard"/"fast" based on watching you over time. If you do not have that resource, then you really have to pay attention to what your body is telling you and to make adjusts that will allow you to train long term. Knee and hip pain can come from a lot of sources from misalignments to not preparing your joints enough before (or after) putting them through a rigorous workout. You could also rest and let yourself heal but that may not give you the reason you were having pain to begin with so by all means seek help from a professional that can examine you properly and diagnose the root of the issue. Good luck.

 

[Damien]

Definitely agree on the physio front. I suffered from bad knees for about a decade after a rugby injury exacerbated a congenital issue and GPs didn't help. It's not a surprise really, they can't be specialists on everything, but a good physio can really help.

I would generally say that pain in your hips and knees when doing certain exercises would be due to weaknesses, but also potentially pushing yourself too far. It is easy to over extend and strain something when kicking (after which you should rest and recover or it will never get 100% better) and it is easy to push yourself too far when stretching. A lot of people have this idea that you need to go super hard to get flexible, brought on no doubt by images of Chinese martial arts schools and gymnasiums where people are being stretched to the point of tears. The science simply doesn't back that up. Stretch to the point of discomfort, never pain and you'll progress just as fast. It is the consistency that matters most.

Back on the knee front, having battled with bad knees all that time and eventually getting things sorted by working with a physio and actually building kung fu in to my rehab I've come up with a programme which I recommend to everyone who is suffering from knee issues and is also looking to do martial arts. It starts out slow so that pretty much anyone should be able to do it, and then you can scale it to your level. Not something to do every day, but a few days a week will see a big difference. I made a video on it a while back: Knee Strengthening Exercises for Pain Free Knees- Prevent Injury and Improve Mobility - YouTube hopefully it will help you out.

Good luck!