Preventing A Knee Injury: How to Use Knee Wraps

For those of you out there training hard to get stronger legs, this article will be very helpful. Remember, the cialis super active best way to prevent any injury (in our case an orthopedic one: knee injury) is by informing yourself as much as you can so you can apply best practices to your training sessions. Anyways, knee wraps have long been a mainstay for competitive powerlifters, and for a good reason. When properly used, wraps can dramatically improve knee safety during heavy squatting and leg training sessions. Whenever you contract your quadriceps muscles, the patellar ligament wants to pull away from its attachment at the upper front aspect of the tibia. During squatting, for example, the heavier you go, the lower you go, and the faster you descend, the more this tendency is compound.

Wrapping your knees with wraps or other highly binding types of bandages is something all lifters must do when squatting with extremely heavy weights in training and competition. However, here we want to show the proper technique to the regular person who wants stronger legs and trains with weights. There is a question as to whether casino pa natet anyone else should. One theory has it that constantly wrapping one”s knees during training robs that person of the very stress that is critical to promote positive adaptive tissue growth, including connective tissue. Reasons for wearing a knee wraps during squatting, therefore are as follows:

• Keeping your knees warm (wrapped loosely), which improves blood flow and tissue elasticity.
• Prevent a knee injury if the weight you are using is greater than 80 percent of your maximum.
• If you have knee problems that require them.

One thing you can”t forget is the fact that knee wraps are only effective if used properly. Sit on a chair or bench. Begin with the wrap completely rolled up (this makes the process much easier than fighting with a six-foot tangle of cloth). With your leg straight, start applying the wrap on the upper portion of your shin. Wrapping from in to out, counterclockwise for the left leg, clockwise for the right, anchor the wrap by applying 2 to 3 layers on the upper shin, then move upward, overlapping each previous layer by one-halve the width of the wrap. When wrapping around the patella, make sure the wrap is a little bit loose to avoid excessive pressure on the kneecap. Apply the wrap tightly again as you move past the knee, stopping somewhere on the lower third of the thigh. Tuck the end of the wrap under the previous layer to secure it. Repeat for the other leg.

You will notice that the wrap is tightly wound in a cylindrical fashion around the upper shin, where the patella ligament attaches, the more loosely wound over the kneecap itself, then tightly wound over the lower quarter if the thigh. The rationale for wrapping the knees prior to heavy squatting is that it reduces the pulling forces on the patellar ligament at its attachment to the shin. This translates to significantly reduce chances of detaching your patellar ligament during heavy leg movements.

There is no reason for you to suffer a knee injury if you train properly within your limits and apply techniques like the one described in this article. Got questions? You can always contact us so we can guide you in the right direction.

Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201  Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119