The Resilient Knee Project

NEWS:

Opportunity - Seeking Partnership

Join Our Team: Seeking Partner, Digital Creator and Project Manager for Exciting Healthcare Collaboration

Are you a talented digital creator and experienced project manager looking for a rewarding opportunity in the healthcare sector?

We invite you to join our team as we embark on an innovative collaboration aimed at revolutionizing patient care.

As the clinical lead of this project, I am seeking a passionate and skilled digital creator and project manager to partner with me in developing a groundbreaking solution. Together, we will create an app that empowers individuals with knee-related concerns to optimize their knee health and overall well-being.

This collaborative venture will require your expertise in digital content creation, app development, and project management. Your ability to translate clinical insights into user-friendly and engaging digital experiences will be invaluable in shaping the future of knee wellness.

If you are enthusiastic about merging healthcare and technology, and are driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact in people's lives, we would love to hear from you. Join our team and help us transform knee care, empowering individuals to take control of their knee health journey.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now and be part of an exciting and dynamic project that will reshape the way we approach knee health and patient care.

We look forward to welcoming you to our team and embarking on this rewarding collaboration.

Please contact Daniel O’Grady if you’re interested in discussing this role further.

0432 898 597

dan@kinfolkwellness.com.au

About The Resilient Knee Project

"Revolutionizing knee pain management through the power of running"

The Resilient Knee Project has a goal of inspiring people around the world to restore the health of their knees through a specialized knee program with a focus on building physical capacity through running.

Our graduates are able to get back to running and feel like themselves again, without relying on medication or surgery.

A groundbreaking new treatment for persistent knee pain and early arthritis, called The Resilient Knee Project has been developed by a leading physiotherapist and running coach Daniel O’Grady.

The treatment focuses on the use of running as a core therapy to improve knee health and reduce pain and inflammation.

The new program is based on the latest research and clinical evidence, which suggests that running can be an effective and safe way to improve knee function and reduce the risk of future knee problems.

The program includes a customized running program, with a gradual and progressive increase in mileage, as well as specific exercises and techniques to improve knee stability and strength.

"We are excited to offer this innovative and effective treatment to our patients," said Daniel O’Grady, lead physical therapist at The Resilient Knee Project. "Running has long been considered a high-impact activity that can be harmful to the knees, but our program has shown that with proper training and technique, it can actually be a beneficial form of therapy for individuals with persistent knee pain and early arthritis."

The Resilient Knee Project has already helped numerous patients improve their knee health and reduce their pain, and the clinic is now accepting new patients through in person assessment or digital online programs from anywhere in the world.

9 Benefits of Running For Knee Health

RUNNERS WORRIED ABOUT KNEE PAIN 💥

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It’s a no brainer - Running is without doubt THE best thing you can do for your knee 💪

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Here’s 9 reasons, off the top of my head…

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There are many more…feel free to add to the list in the comments below…

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And when someone asks, tell them👇

Running is like the the UV from the sun, it’s the DOSE that matters.

Excess UV sunlight contributes to skin cancer, BUT too little causes Vitamin D deficiency.

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So listen to your body, but don’t fear running as it’s THE best form of exercise to support your knee joint.

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If you need a little help getting your individual dose right, get in contact with a physio who also has a passion for running and knee health 😎

9 Benefits of Running For Knee Health

1. increases bone density - increases resilience of joint

2. Increases tendon capacity (eg Achilles calf spring that acts like a shock absorber for knee joint)

3. Cartilage health - loading stimulates growth of new cartilage

4. Eccentric muscle length and strength reduces knee joint compression

5. Low loads on knee cap (flat ground running) vs squats and lunges high knee cap loads causing accelerated joint wear

6. Improves metabolic health - leading to optimized weight (strength training increases muscle size so more load and weight for the joint)

7. Increased circulation through body - stimulating endorphins, optimize lymphatic drainage and flow

8. Natural and varied open environment with fresh air and sunshine

9. Able to train more consistently eg- when traveling

Is it worth foam rolling your ITB?

If you walk into any gym, you may see someone sadistically foam rolling their ITB, making all sorts of interesting faces.

The ITB, if you are unsure, stands for Ilio-Tibial Band - that is the long fibrous tissue that runs from the hip down to the knee along the outside of your thigh (see pic below).

An irritated ITB can lead to pain and inflammation in the outside of the knee, especially in runners and cyclists. If not addressed early, this can lead to ongoing pain and can be tricky to manage.

To roll or not to roll?

Recently there has been a lot of noise being made about the fact that regular foam rolling and stretching doesn’t physically change the ITB at all.

Some researchers point out that it is impossible to ‘release’ your ITB with a foam roller because it takes thousands of kilograms of pressure to change it.

Proponents for the foam roller say that it helps keep the tightness under control and prevents runner’s knee.

Who is right?

Well yes the ITB is made from very tense connective tissue are it probably doesn’t change all that much. And I’d definitely agree you can easily stir things up if you are constantly and aggressively rolling.

And you don’t want to have super loose ITB’s either - having strong and resilient ITB’s are an important part strong and efficient running form.

Ideally, you want to have them ‘in-tune’ like a musical instrument - not too tight or too loose.

What is really happening when you roll?

While it is hard to say for sure, I suspect most of the benefits from foam rolling are coming from what lies directly under the ITB. Here you’ll find one of the quad muscles called the Vastus Lateralis (see diagram below).

The ITB sits directly on top of the Vastus Lateralis

When you look at the above picture, you could easily believe that the ITB is the main player on the outside of the thigh.

However, on closer inspection, the diagram below gives a much more accurate picture, showing the relative density of the ITB compared with the huge Vastus Lateralis (VL) on the left of the picture.

Cross section area: ITB vs VL (Vastus Lateralis)

As you can see, while the ITB gets all the attention, the vastus lateralis has a huge cross sectional area and is the real workhorse of the leg.

The vastus lateralis muscles tend to become overloaded with lots of downhill running, squats and lunges.

Some muscles in the body due to their anatomy and location, are impossible to stretch effectively. The vastus lateralis is one of them.

Over time, one of the most common causes of pain on the outer side of the knee is from a build-up of tightness in the vastus lateralis (see trigger point referral patterns below).

So learning how to maintain flexibility by foam rolling in this area is hugely important to keep your knee and hip joints moving well.

How to foam roll the Vastus Lateralis:

Benefits to foam rolling the ITB/vastus lateralis:

• improved short term flexibility and blood flow

• releasing the muscles under the ITB (Vastus lateralis)

• stimulate the para-sympathetic system to activate the healing and recovery process

• connecting with your body and bringing awareness to any overly sensitive or tight areas
  

Things to keep in mind:

• avoid rolling directly over the outside of the knee and hip joints

• should never feel more then 5/10 pain. Regulate the pressure by using your upper body and core if needed. In the words of John Rusin, “Stop mindlessly foam roll like a jackass.”

• if you’re getting ongoing tightness, you need to get to the root cause! Consider contributing factors such as shoe wear (time for a new pair?), training habits, too many hills, inadequate glute strength and capacity, inadequate carbohydrates before and during your run, inadequate protein for recovery

• don’t bother trying to actually stretch the ITB - it’s anatomy is too complex to get an effective stretch

When to roll:

• if you have extremely tight leg muscles, you can roll gently before you exercise (30-60 secs max)

• the best time to roll is after you have finished exercising, when the muscles are warmed up

Conclusion:

• above all listen to your own body - if it feels good to you, then keep foam rolling your ITB and outer quads

• don’t spend too long foam rolling (2-3 mins total time to roll the major muscle groups) after you exercise is enough, with perhaps one longer stretching session per week

• an even more effective approach, target the vastus lateralis with the foam roller by rotating 45 degrees onto your front, and slowly bend and straighten your knee as you roll

• if you’re getting ongoing tightness and pain in the ITB, seek professional help with a Physiotherapist to help identify contributing factors

Questions?

Please leave a comment below…

More from the blog:

Managing My Patellofemoral Pain - Free Education Leaflet

Thanks to Christian Barton, an expert knee Physiotherapist in Melbourne, for putting this useful leaflet together.

This freely downloadable PDF explains:

• what exactly is patellofemoral pain and how it develops

• contributing factors

• key treatment options

• how physiotherapy can help

Pain on Inside of Knee? Get To Know Your VMO

The Resilient Knee Project is an innovative solution for people with chronic knee pain that empowers individuals to self-manage their pain and most importantly, get them back to enjoy the physical and mental benefits of running.

Founded by Daniel O’Grady, dedicated professional with first hand experience of overcoming knee pain and running the NYC Marathon, the project aims to be a world leader in restoring people’s confidence in their knees and get back to doing what they love.

Is The Resilient Knee Program right for you?

Take the free quiz here

Get to your know your VMO

If you’ve ever had a nagging pain on the inside of your knee or a knee that seems to buckle or give way, there is a fair chance you’ve had some dysfunction in the VMO muscle.

VMO dysfunction is very common in runners, hikers, cyclists, athletes involved in jumping sports and after any knee injury.

In this short blog, we’ll find out more about how issues develop in the VMO and what you can do to help.

WHAT IS THE VMO MUSCLE?

VMO stands for Vastus Medialis Oblique and this is part of the quads, running along the inside of the thigh, with the bulk of the muscle sitting directly above the inside of the knee.

FUNCTION:

The role of the VMO is to assist with extending your knee and arguably the most responsible muscle for knee stability, as it helps control the alignment of the knee-cap.

When the VMO isn’t functionally optimally, the knee cap tends to shift slightly out of place during movements such as squats and lunges, causing pain and inflammation behind the knee-cap.

SYMPTOMS:

When the quads get overloaded (suddenly or over time), tightness in the muscle fibres (called trigger points) can refer a toothache-like pain deep in the knee joint (see Figure 1 below).

This pain from the overloaded VMO muscle can often be confused with joint pain such osteo-arthritis or a meniscus tear, as the location and type of pain are often similar.

Figure 1

The initial knee pain then may disappear after a few weeks, only to be replaced by a sudden weakness in the knee (a condition called “buckling knee”) that causes a person to unexpectedly fall while walking.

HOW THE VMO BECOMES OVERLOADED:

The VMO can be activated as a protective response to knee injury such as to the ligaments, meniscus or post-surgery.

The VMO is also commonly overloaded with repeated use in the following situations:

• suddenly increasing your volume of running or cycling (running places around 6 x body weight through the quads)

• a new (or sudden increase) in an exercise program involving repetitive squats, lunges, leg extensions or wall sits

• jumping sports e.g. basketball

• cycling - poor bike fit

• walking downhill or stairs

• being over-zealous in rehabbing the VMO - too much strengthening too soon

TREATMENT:

Physiotherapy assessment will involve a comprehensive movement assessment to determine the cause of your VMO issue.

“Short term treatment such as soft tissue massage and dry needling is very helpful, while long term building capacity in the quads, glutes and core is critical to prevent a relapse.

TRIGGER POINT DRY NEEDLING:

Tightness and contraction of the VMO responds very well to dry needling, which can de-activate the trigger points (knots in the muscle).

The benefit of dry needling is that it can reach the deep fibers of the muscle and lead to a quicker resolution of symptoms. 

Treatment of the VMO is generally very responsive to treatment, provided the contributing factors are addressed.

SELF-CARE TIPS:

• apply heat to the VMO muscle 10 minutes each day to increase blood flow and reduce tension

• if you’re a runner or hiker, avoid the hills (in the short-term)

• ensure your shoes are not overly worn

• when running - avoid over-striding, ensure proper warm up and cool down and take walking breaks frequently to avoid overloading the VMO

• avoid prolonged kneeling on the floor e.g. gardening, washing floors - use a low bench or stool to sit on instead

• foam roll the VMO daily for a few minutes (see below). It’s also a good idea to roll out the adductors which are also commonly tight
  

Foam Roller for the VMO:

Foam rolling the inner quad and adductor - fun times!

Let’s get you back to doing what you love…

If you’d like to get your knee on the fast track straight away, please use the button below to schedule an appointment:

Dan O'Grady is a results driven qualified Physiotherapist and member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association.  Dan has a special interest in treating knee pain.  He has been working in private practice for 15 years. He is passionate about helping people to move better, feel better and get back to doing what they love.

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