Over time I’ve had clients come thought the door wanting me to train them just like any other coach, in a few cases we did have to address the issue of knee pain – the left to be specific. 1 highlighted it hurting particularly when driving in their car and sitting in traffic, the other was a retired farmer who would of at times spent hours driving around in a tractor and having to press down on a heavy clutch which got me thinking is there a link between the 2? So, I decided to give this a look.
This might get a bit technical but stay with me!
Like anything the more its used the more it can suffer from wear and tear, your knees are no different! Sitting for long periods at a time whether in the car or sat at your office desk you’ve got your quadriceps in a constant stretch while the hamstrings are in a shortened state. This is already causing an issue of muscles being overactive or underactive, this underactivity in the hamstrings can and will have an effect on the entire posterior chain (Hamstrings, Gluteus maximus and Erector spine). This can lead to other issues such as lower back pain. So straight away we’re already dealing with a creation of muscular imbalances.
So lets get more specific, when we press down on the clutch we are extending from the knee, using the quad tendon, pulling on the Tibia through the Patella (knee cap). When doing this your left leg can often stay in an active position of either hyper flexed or extended creating tension throughout, we can create even more imbalances as a result with tight Tibialis and even the Gastrocnemius. Pulling everything out of alignment and causing more pain. The problem we’ve got is that if we have muscle groups that are under or inactive we are creating a greater demand on those that are working and on the joints in question. To work better it needs those other muscles kicking in; the Hamstrings, the Glutes, the Gastrocnemius.
So what can be done?
A time when it can really be a problem is when stuck in traffic, so what we can do is gauge the distance between cars. Slowly crawl in 1st or 2nd gear to decrease the amount of times you’re using the clutch.
Check your seat position, the more the knee is bent the more force is put through it. Adjust the seat back a bit so there is a slight bent in the knee and is relaxed.
Use your foot! Yeah seriously! You’re probably thinking to yourself right now “what do you think I use? My elbow?!” But if you flex and extend from the ankle, using your calves to press down the clutch that will mean less work for knee.
Strengthening the lower body muscles, if those areas are stronger they shouldn’t fatigue anywhere near as quickly. A particular area would be the Glutes, as they are part of the muscle group that run along the Femur and support straightening out the knee when seated, the weaker these muscles are the more overworked the quads are which can lead to knee pain.
But with all this focus going on, don’t forget about and ignore your right knee! Be just as mindful about what’s happening there, keeping it just as strong, keep it moving around and allow the fluid in the knee to stay lubricated and avoid stiffness.
