{"id":7501,"date":"2019-06-28T07:01:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T07:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7501"},"modified":"2021-04-19T13:30:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T13:30:26","slug":"14-ways-to-prevent-torn-meniscus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-ways-to-prevent-torn-meniscus\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Ways to Prevent Torn Meniscus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A torn meniscus is also sometimes referred to as a \u2018cartilage tear\u2019. The meniscus is specifically the piece of cartilage that lives between your femur (thighbone) and your shinbone. There are two menisci in each leg, found around the knee joint and their job is to help lubricate and cushion the movement of the knee<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is a wide range of different exercises and movements that can cause this to become torn. This is especially true of any exercise that places uneven pressure on the knee joint, or that might cause it to become twisted. This is common in the gym but is also common in a number of sports such as football where a bad tackle can commonly put a player out of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even if you are relatively inactive, you are not safe from this painful injury! Simply going too quickly up the stairs, or moving quickly through the squatting position can likewise cause a tear here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many things that cause this issue then, but most often it involves movements that incorporate a squat, a pivot, or another type of rapid change in direction. Sports that require you to stop and change direction often are common causes. This becomes more common as you get older, and osteoarthritis similarly increases the likelihood of damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you go about preventing this from happening? As they say, prevention is better than a cure. So read on, and let\u2019s take a look at how you can prevent a torn meniscus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Take it Easy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest causes of a meniscus tear<\/a> is increasing the intensity of a workout too quickly. The issue here is that muscle can respond extremely quickly to training and is highly adaptable \u2013 it actually takes just 8 days to start seeing changes in the structure of the muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is largely down to the fact that muscle has a large blood supply. The more you train, the more blood your muscle receives and the faster it can heal and come back stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is that cartilage and the menisci have a far lower supply. There are areas that are higher (such as the edges), but ultimately, it takes a while for this area of the body to catch up. This is even more pronounced among steroid users who will often see their muscles race ahead of their ligaments, tendons, and menisci.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, take your time. Don\u2019t be in a hurry to increase the weight that quickly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2 Use High Rep\/Low Weight<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best type of exercise <\/a>as you are building up to stronger knees is an exercise that has a low amount of resistance and a high rep range. This will cause slower muscle adaptations in terms of strength, but that\u2019s a good thing because it will give the menisci time to keep up. Not only that, but this type of exercise will help to improve mobility and technique, and will send lots of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the area being trained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it\u2019s important to use light weights if you are going for high reps. A good example might be to perform 20 leg extensions with a very low weight (maybe 10Kg) or perhaps to perform 30 air squats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only start to increase the challenge and intensity once you are happy you\u2019re making progress and have built a foundation of strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3 Nutrition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you injure yourself in the gym, playing sports, or in general life, it is common to question what you might have done differently. What were you doing \u2018wrong\u2019 at this time that led to the problem? This is an understandable way to think about the issue, but it might not actually be all that helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because in many cases, the injury was actually as good as guaranteed <\/em>before you even set foot in the gym. You sealed your fate prior <\/em>to the actual training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you hit the gym with poor nutrition, for example, having eaten poorly for months on end, then you will have weaker cartilage, ligaments, and tendons owing to low vitamin C<\/a> (used to create collagen), low calcium, and low protein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, if you are dehydrated at the time of training, this will vastly increase your likelihood of tearing something<\/em>. Hydration helps to act as a lubricant, as well as to improve the general flexibility and elasticity of much of our connective tissue. If you aren\u2019t drinking enough prior to training, then the injury is common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress and lack of sleep are also factors that can make injury more likely. So try to think in the broader context of your day and lifestyle, not just that fortuitous moment that you heard the pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4 Correct Gait and Form<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using the incorrect form when walking and running can greatly increase your likelihood of injury, as you will end up placing pressure unevenly on the joints. This is very common for instance if you have slight pronation or if you have flat feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the easiest ways to improve your body\u2019s ability to work as a single functional unit is to try and adapt your gait <\/a>by using minimal shoes or even training barefoot. Barefoot training means that you\u2019re going to be running without shoes, which in turn forces you to absorb more impact through correct technique by landing on the ball of your foot. As your foot splays to take up a wider surface area and adapt to uneven terrain, this can also prevent your foot from tipping causing a sprain or torn tendon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5 Warm-Up and Stretch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Warming up and stretching <\/a>can help you to reduce your injury risk, but only if you know how to do it correctly. Actually, a number of studies show that stretching prior to a workout can increase <\/em>your injury risk by reducing the control you have over the joint. This is particularly true around the knee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you use ballistic stretching \u2013 bouncing or jolting yourself into a greater range of motion \u2013 then this can cause injury all on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to stretch is by using foam rollers in order to release the tonus in the muscles (i.e. tightness). Likewise, you should warm up by performing the movements that you are about to use with weights \u2013 but with far lower resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6 Know When to Stop<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Knowing when to stop is extremely important for preventing injury. Let\u2019s imagine that you\u2019re performing box jumps for instance. While these are a very useful form of plyometric exercise on their own and certainly not inherently bad, they can become problematic as soon as you start to fatigue <\/a>and reach exhaustion. When this happens, you can increase your odds of landing badly and causing a very serious tear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the big issues with CrossFit, which will often program big heavy lifts and plyometric movements following hugely tiring mega-sets and cardio. This is why menisci injuries are common in CrossFit. The best way to avoid this is with good programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7 Build Mobility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Building more mobility <\/a>in your joints and limbs is another important way to prevent injury. That\u2019s because mobility describes your ability to move through a range of motion with strength and with no external force \u2013 for example bending down to perform a movement rather than using an elastic band to increase your stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobility helps you to relax tight muscle and tendons, it helps you to tone muscles that are rarely used, and it prevents corrective movement patterns that can lead to injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8 Use Heavy Partials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For advanced athletes who want to push their training further but risk injuring their affected limb, one option is something called a heavy partial. This means training with a weight that is too heavy for you, by performing only a very small part of the movement. The most common example is the \u2018rack pull\u2019 which is a deadlift where the weight is raised off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These exercises can help build more strength because they require you to load the tendons <\/a>and ligaments with more weight than you could do normally. When you perform a very short squat this way, you can actually develop more ligament strength. It can also aid your menisci. However, this should only <\/em>be used by advanced athletes with otherwise healthy menisci. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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