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  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    By Anthony Mychalhttp://anthonymychal.comAn Athletes Guide to Chronic

    Knee PainThis is a preview of An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain: Theories andSolutions for Patellar Tendonitis, Jumpers Knee, and Patellar TrackingProblems. Check out the full website and the full eBook at the link above.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    DISCLAIMER

    The author will not be held responsible for any issue (be itinjuries, pains, aches, equipment misuse, animal fertilization, orother) that results from reading this eBook. Its purpose is strictlyinformational and legal action cannot be taken against the author

    for any reason on account of this written work.

    Although the author admittedly bases the medical industry,understand that he is not legally authorized to replace your

    physician as a clearance prior to engaging to physical activity. Besure to get clearance from the appropriate professional personnel

    prior to becoming physically active or engaging in a rigorousexercise regimen.

    My name has been cleared.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    EXPECTATIONSGreetings. As you probably know, my name is Anthony Mychalanother one of those online writers and trainer guys. I know Im just one in asea of qualified people, but Im glad you somehow landed here. I asked a lot ofpeople to spread around this free report, because I wanted to help as manypeople as possible. And being that not everyone knows me (yet), I had to makesome friends along the way. So want to thank everyone that helped me get theword out.Before I go on, I want to dismiss the perception that I was alwayssomeone that knew how to fix chronic knee pain. That I am simply relayinginformation in a textbook. In fact, not too long ago, I was on the other side ofthis word documentthe reading what others were kind enough to provide. Istill am that person a lot of times. I love learning and I cant get enough ofhealth, fitness, and athletics.But I want to talk specifically about knee pain. Back in 2008-2009, I wasa wreck. I was plagued with injuriesnotably a lower back injury, a groininjury, and a knee injury. Over time, my lower back and groin somehow fixedthemselves. My knee, on the other hand, didnt have the same fortune.It hurt when I squatted. It hurt when I jumped. It hurt when I powercleaned. It hurt when I deadlifted. It hurt when I ran. It hurt when I walkedand down steps. It hurt when I got in and out of my car.It hurt.Looking back, calling myself a wreck is an understatement. Butperhaps more detrimental than the physical damage, was the emotionaldamage. At the time, my friends and I did something called tricking. Itsbasically a barrage of acrobatics thrown together in an aesthetically pleasingdisplay of movement.Now, my friends and I had been doing this since 2001. It was somethingwe were all passionate about. We texted each other move combinations andwe drew tricks on each others folders in high school.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    Yet here I was, at the age of 21-22, unable to trick because of chronicknee pain. Tricking kept us young, and it formed a strong bond between meand my friends.I remember telling myself that this knee pain was more than not beingable to walk up stepssomething that was also mentally taxingbut it was itwas also cutting into my social and personal life.Of course, I eventually fixed my chronic knee pain. And I put it into aneat eBook, which is precisely why were both here right nowas if youcouldnt tell. But I want you to realize how chronic knee pain can interferewith your life. So back to the story. I spent one year experimenting withdifferent rehabilitation protocols. Youll see more of those adventures and myfeelings on them in the book, so I wont go into much detail here.But after those protocols failed, I built my own theory from the bottomup. And after practicing and testing these method on myself, my students, andmy athletes, I started to work with clients online.Time and time again, I get clients that come to me, wanting me to healtheir chronic knee pain. On the exterior, thats all there is to it. But one of myclientsafter going through the rehabilitation processsent me manypraises. None of them were about being able to barbell squat again. Sure, thatwas one perk, and he enjoyed doing it. But Simon (his testimonial is on themain website) was most excited when he was able to help a friend of his move(which involved repeatedly walking up and down steps), and being able todance an entire night without knee pain.Now, Ive been without knee pain for a few years (except after I brokemy foot, more on that later). But what I pride myself in most isnt being able tosquat or deadlift. Its about being able to sit in a deep squat while looking forfood in the bottom of the refrigerator. Its about running up and down stepsrecklessly. Its about acting and feeling like a kid again. Its about playingsports without regard for those aches and pains that used to haunt me in thepast.Heres a list of things about chronic knee pain that suck:

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    Pain when squatting, running, and jumping Wasting time and money at medical professionals that turn out to be nohelp Ineffective treatments, braces, and creams Not being able to play your sport Having pain during activities of daily livingAnd yes, those things do suck. But they are far from the real pain of chronicknee pain such as: Being self conscious about your body imagine, and not being able toexercise to fix it Never reaching your athletic pinnacle, potentially hinderingscholarships Missing out on camaraderie amongst friends during recreational sports(I can attest to this) The thought of needing surgery and how this affects your life, job, andeveryone around youBack in 2009, this all applied to me. I went to my general practitioner inhopes of fixing my pain. I left poorer ($25 copay) and with painkillers. Thatdidnt work well, so I went to a sports medicine specialist next. I left poorer($30 copay) and with a knee brace (which proceeded to break in a matter ofminutes).I was unhappy with how I looked, and I couldnt do anything about it. I wasan athlete at heart, and was detraining to the point of, well, not training. Icouldnt trick, which meant I was missing out on camaraderie among friends.Worst of all, I thought I was destined for surgery. I didnt know what to do.So I did what any sensible person at the time would doI searched andasked online. I asked Mark Rippetoe numerous questions on his forum. I e-mailed Kelly Baggett and Alex Vasquez. Everything I found and learned wastested and finally compiled in a notebook. The same notebook that wouldeventually become this eBook youre reading about.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    I know youre here for the free stuff. The goodies. The cha ching. Wellget to that, but I want to let you know that you can see more of my story up onthe main website. Oh yeah, you can find the eBook there to. It runs for abouthalf the price of a new video game, so its pretty affordable. Especiallyconsidering that healthy knees are something youll probably need at somepoint in your life.

    CLICK HERE TO GET TO MAIN WEBSITE

    When I was compiling this notebook, I was lost and confused. My Googlesearches werent producing good results. Sure, I found information on patellartendonitis, patellar tracking problems, and jumpers knee, but the

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    rehabilitation strategies were abstract. I was an athlete at heart, and none ofthem resonated with me. Stretching my quads for 30 seconds and then doing aset of leg extensions just wasnt enough, especially because it never worked.But things eventually started coming together. I promised myself that ifI somehow found a solid way to fix chronic knee pain, I would deliver itcheapless than half the price of competing products (that I didnt feel likepaying for at the time, so I didnt). I also wanted to deliver it without thesleazy sales tactics. I dont know about you, but I go to websites, I dont wantto be bombarded with pop-up ads and other shenanigans, regardless ofwhether or not Im going to buy anything.Thats one of the reasons why this report is available to you for free todownload at your convenience on the main website. Most high techsalesman in todays age would have you sign up for a newsletter to get accessto something like this because then they could e-mail you at their will,convincing you to buy other things.I pride myself in being an everyday guy, for the most part. Sure, Im anathlete (or, I tell myself I am), but Im not here to convince you into buyingsomething you dont need. Marketing gurus hold crazy sales with one millionpercent off and other things to entice you to buy something you really dontwant. Well, Im holding myself to a different standard. My eBook is one price,all the time. Always the same. Fully refundable. If you don't think you (or aclient or athlete) will experience, or have ever experienced, knee pain, then Irespect your decision.Likewise, if you dont know if this eBook is for you, e-mail me [email protected] . Ill gladly see whether or not you can benefitfrom it. If you cant, Ill refer you to something else that might be of help.Ok, now that that part is over, its time for the free stuff.A LITTLE ABOUT THE BOOKThis book isnt laden with science that you cant understand. Its just metelling it like it is. Just see the content below to get a better idea.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    We learn better if things are relatable. In the class movie, Road Trip, twoof the main charactersJosh Parker (played by Breckin Meyer) and RubenMeyer (played by Paulo Costanzo)are trying to figure out how one of themis going to pass a philosophy less than two days away.The conversation goes like this:Rubin: What class is that again?Rubin: Ancient philosophy.Rubin: Well I can teach you ancient philosophy in 46 hours.Josh: Really?Rubin: Yeah, I can teach Japanese to a monkey in 46 hours. They key isjust finding a way to relate to the material.That was my goal in writing this.Youre probably wondering why I keep bashing the medical profession.I'm not, really. In fact, I advise everyone to meet with their doctor regularly,especially when it comes to an issue like knee pain. Serious issues needserious care. Read my disclaimer. They can do things that I cant.But what I'm saying is that if you want to know what it feels like to getpunched in the eye, you don't go and talk to someone that's never been in afight. Ive lived through this and fought my way out. And I think that gives mesome informal credentials.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    How to Instantly Cure Knee PainThis post originally appeared on Bret Contrerass Blog as a guest blog post.Ive battled chronic knee issues just about as much as anyone could inlife. If you dont believe me just check out the video I posted on YouTube backin 2009.Through a lot of troubles and experimentation, I managed to fix my RiceKrispies kneesa miracle in itself. All was well in the world.That was until January 28, 2011, when I broke my right foot in fiveplaces. I was on crutches for eight weeks. This meant my left legthe oneprone to chronic issueswas the only useable leg I had. Welcome home,chronic knee pain.After getting off crutches and going through another six weeks ofrelearning how to walk (I had a severe limp), I got back into training. But acombination of built up stress (from the crutching) and huge imbalancesbetween my legs (both strength-wise and mobility-wise) forced me to make atough decision.I stopped caring about back squatting.Im a meathead at heart, and Ive squatted for years. But I have to admit,I prospered without them. I felt great. I felt healthy.But this backed me into a corner. Previously, I branded myself as a kneeguru. After all, I had spent the past few years researching and writing aboutknee pain, boiling my experiences and knowledge into an eight weekcorrective system dedicated to reprogram the body in a more knee friendlyway. And yet here I was, ignoring the squat because of chronic knee pain. Iwas a hypocrite. It was my job to squat once again.But instead of following my tested eight week program, I thought Id seeif there was an easier way, orat the leasta quicker way. I wantedsomething that provided immediate results.My theory of knee pain goes like this: feet + hips = knees. So Ilike BretContrerasam a proponent of getting the glutes more involved on lower bodylifts. But where I differed from Bret was that I preferred doing this from astanding position, meaning I wasnt a big fan of hip thrusts.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    Yet after a few discussions with Bret, I gave the hip thrust anothershotspecifically high rep hip thrusts after reading this blog post. Why?Because the hips are one piece of my equation, and I thought that high rep hipthrusts to the point of a crazy pumpone that has the muscles so engorgedwith blood that you almost crywould provide immediate sensory andproprioceptive feedback.I have to give credit to Kelly Baggett of Higher Faster Sports for instillingthis philosophy in me. He claims that in the presence of a glute pump, youllfeel a lot more up on your forefoot (the second part of the equation). But Inever tried it because I didnt have an exercise that did it for me. Traditionalactivation exercises dont really activate the muscles too well from a peakvoluntary contraction standpoint.THE METHODIts simple. Load the bar and do as many hip thrust repetitions as youcan before you cry. The goal is to hit 20 reps, but dont stop until your body isrefusing the movement. Its difficult. Yes. Its metabolically taxing. Yes. Itsmentally exhausting. Yes. But go until you can go no more.I havent done hip thrusts that much, but I used 225 pounds for this thefirst time around and surpassed 20 repetitions, albeit in agony. If you can hipthrust 315+, go with 225. If not, try 135 or 185.As you reach your lactic threshold, every rep is grueling. After you finishthe set, your heart rate is jacked through the roof. But the true magic happenswhen you get up to walk. Just as Kelly promised, your glutes are so pumpedand engorged with blood that you feel them with every stride. And, of course,you feel like youre walking on your tippy toes.This is the way you want your body to function at all hours of the dayrelying on your glutes and forefoot. If you can do that, not only will your kneepain decrease, but youll notice some other strange feats of athleticism goingon. As Bret has mentioned a few times in his writings, higher class athletesknow how to use their hip muscles better than lower class athletes. So whileyou have this pump, do some bodyweight squats and deadlifts and just feelhow differently your body is moving. Feel how much your glutes are working.Go sprint and see why high class runners get something called glute lock.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    While this method is great for immediate feedback, the downside is thatit ends as soon as your pump does. And while it feels great when it lasts, itsnot a long term solution. Its just a learning tool. If you want your body tofunction like this regularly, you have to reprogram it. Thats why my regularprogram is eight weeks long.But for those of you seeking immediate relief, follow the circuit cocktailbelow:1) Soft Tissue high and low on the quadriceps with a lax ball or PVC pipe.2) Hip Thrusts (high reps).3) Movement unweighted squatting, deadlifting, running, jumping, walkingRepeat the circuit three times; noting how your body changes whenyour glutes are on and your soft tissue restrictions are alleviated.So while it may not be comprehensive, and it may not be a long termsolution, its worth the ten or fifteen minutes it takes to do it. Who knows,maybe it will be just enough for you.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    12 TIPS FOR THOSE SUFFERING FROMCHRONIC KNEE PAIN

    Knee Tip #1: The Doctor VisitSwallow your pride and make sure your pain isnt a serious medical problem.Check with your insurance company and make sure this wont cost more thana co-pay. You also want to be wary of anything the doctor tries to give you,like a brace. These are considered luxuries, not covered under insurance.Knee Tip #2: Your OutlookAs a general rule, internal damage will require heavy medical assistance.Other small problems like patellar tendonitis/jumpers knee and patellartracking problems can be fixed without tremendous intervention.

    Knee Tip #3: Clear Your MindEverything you know is wrong, including the dominant movements theory.Doing hip dominant movements in favor of quad dominant movements will donothing because its more about exercise execution and not exercise selection.Knee Tip #4: Macho, or Stupid?Training through pain is a surefire way to always have pain.

    Knee Tip #5: Guilty as QuadsDont blame your quadriceps, they are not the problem.Knee Tip #6: Physical PhysicsPhysics and force can explain the cause of your pain if you have the abilityconceptualize it.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    Knee Tip #7: Strength isnt the AnswerYour knee pain is caused by lack of voluntary control over the hip, not a lack ofstrength of the hip.Knee Tip #8: Brace YourselfBraces have their place, but are not to be used as a permanent fixture. Usethem like a nicotine addict would use nicotine gum; with an end in sight.

    Knee Tip # 9: Sleepy TimeBed rest will only appear to cure your knee pain.Knee Tip #10: Get the Kid a Happy MealAs silly as it sounds, your knee is kind of like a crying child. You MUST inducepositive feelings into it if you want it to heal. If it constantly feels pain, it wontknow life without pain.

    Knee Tip #11: Stay in LaneThe knee must track over the second toe.Knee Tip #12: Infamous Footwear?Almost all shoes will hinder your ankle function, and as a result, can causeknee pain.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    PELVIC POSITION AND KNEE PAINReach down and cradle your patellar tendons between your middle andpointer finger. If youre like most people, youre lower back is going to berounded in this position. Your tendons will also be lax.Keep your hands there and begin anteriorly rotating your pelvis. Notethe tightness of the tendon. The further you go, the tighter it gets.Now do the same drill only squeeze your glutes at random intervals.Note the tightness. The tighter the glute, the more lax the tendon gets.Learn how to put that into practical use.JUMP AS HIGH AS YOU CAN IN THE AIRNo one lands on their heels after doing a maximal vertical jump. I woulddare you to try it, but I dont want to subject you to that kind of pain. The foothelps us control the force throughout the lower body, specifically the forefoot.If you take the vertical jump example, landing on your forefoot is thenatural way to cushion yourself from a jump.Ninjas dont land on their heels. They move on their tip toes because ithelps them cushion force. The more cushioned the force is at the foot, the lessthe knee has to do.Use your forefoot.

    VIDEO DEMONSTRATION

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    HIPS + FEET = KNEESFrom a movement standpoint, the knees are simple. They flex andextend. Boring. Not much can go wrong there (aside from rotational forcesand things slamming into the side of your leg, but thats a different story.) Butif you think of the leg as a chain, the hip and ankle are at both ends of the knee.The hip has a host of responsibilities, as does the ankle. Not only do they flexand extend, they internally rotate, externally rotate, adduct, and abduct.In other words, the leg is like a seesaw and the knee is the middlefulcrum. Ultimately, its the ends that determine the movement. And if its theends that are causing the problems, traditional rehabilitation methods thatfocus on the quadriceps arent going to cut it.Remember this equation.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    3 Little Known Facts About Knee Pain, andThe Key to Unlocking Your Athletic Potential

    FACT #1:GOOD FEET + GOOD HIPS = GOOD KNEES. The truth is that your knee isntdysfunctional, but your hips and feet are. The knee is just the middle man,caught between two faulty structures.

    FACT #2:By using rehabilitation strategies that focus on the knee, youre only makingthe problem worse. Don't succumb to leg extensions and hamstring curls to fixthe problem.FACT #3:Changing the way you move to put less stress on the knees requires totalmotor reprogramming. And by reprogramming the body in a way to put lesspressure on the knees, there's a crazy side effect (see next page).

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    THE KEY TO UNLOCKINGYOUR ATHLETIC

    POTENTIALThis might seem too good to be true, but using these methods to fix chronicknee pain has a pleasant after effect. By reprogramming your body to drivemovements from the hip and use the larger muscles, you become much moreathletic. Take these still shots below, for example.

    Both are from the amortization (fancy word for transition from down to up)phase of a vertical jump. The guy on the left touts a 30 vertical jump (eventhough that's probably stretching it), but notice how UPRIGHT his torso is.This means hes using mostly his quadriceps and thighs to lift him in the air,with little contribution from the hip.Now take the guy on the right. He touts a near 50 vertical jump (I'm saying40" to prevent from internet inflation as 50" is huge). Look at how his torso isalmost parallel to the floor. This means he is using his hips and posteriormusculature considerably more!A 10-20 difference in vertical jump is huge, and the differences betweenthese two guys muscular recruitment patterns are obvious.An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain teaches you to use and tap intoyour hip muscles so that your knees work less. A huge side effect is that youbecome way more athletic.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    BRACE YOURSELFThe first line of defense against pain is wearing a brace. But whichwork, and which should you use? Regardless of your decision, decide whatbrace to wear after your warm up. You will learn how to judge the health ofyour knee before expecting and planning for a pain threshold that may not bethere. When the spring season is around the corner, you peek your head outof the window to feel for the weather before deciding what to wear.PATELLAR TRACKING BRACEThey are large and cumbersome. Unconsciously, it pulls your knee capin the direction of mis-trackinga very weird sensation. Wearing one feelslike your kneecap is in a tug-of-war battle. Develop proper tracking yourself,and not with strange assistance. Its a temporary mask for a permanentproblem.GENERAL KNEE BRACESome are bulky and stable, others are small and mobile. The differenceis the mental stability they provide. Its not about what can be done in them,its about what cant be done. The bigger ones restrict movement and serve asa reminder of your injury. Let the severity of your pain be your guide.Ultimately, a crutch.PATELLAR TENDONITIS STRAPSIts a small strap with an elevated, half cylindrical foam piece thatpressures the patellar tendon. The bonus? It works.Dont let it become your newest body part, because it becomes verypsychologically comforting. Mental addictions are harder to break thanphysical problems. Only use when you have to. Decide after the warm up.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    BOOK PREVIEWPREFACE

    THE SPAWNING

    My written experience with knee pain started when I made afitness blog. I was a lifetime sufferer, and after rehab myconfidence was climbing alongside my health.

    The Bees Knees was finalized in five articles, detailingeasy ways for athletes to stop knee pain. But my blog wasntpopular, so the information just sat in cyberspace. School workforced me to neglect my blog, and I forgot I had ever written thearticles. Life went on.

    A few loose thank you e-mails trickled to my inbox from TheBees Knees, months later. This was encouraging enough forme to want to read the originals.

    I was embarrassed at what I found.

    Perhaps it was my novice writing style or how much I hadgrown since then, but my only chance for redemption was torewrite them, the way they deserved to be written. Im wonderingif Ill say the same about this eBook in a years time.

    IS IT FOR ME?

    Ignorance rules the fitness industry. One side of the bridgehouses Ph.D.s with no experience outside of a Petri dish athletic

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    environment. The other side, personal trainers that found theircredentials after an eight hour weekend workshop.

    Its best to look at people that have done what you want todo. Dont search the weak to find strength. Dont listen to thesmall to get big. Experience is better than science because thetwo highways havent merged. As Timothy Ferriss alluded to inhis newest book, The Four Hour Body, doctors could learn aboutsteroids if they chatted with bodybuilders.

    This text isnt about shoulder health, how to cut hair, orgiving a woman a fifteen minute orgasm (with the success of TheFour Hour Body I should reconsider). Its for people that livefeeling twenty years older than their age. Its for athletes withtendonitis and tracking problems. Its for people with knees thatmake more noise than the rocking chair in the corner of the livingroom. Its for the athlete that looks to the sky for a semblance ofhealth. Its for you.

    Experts say you need medicine, surgery, or expensivephysical therapy. I hate medicine, I dont like cutting flesh, andIm poor. I looked for another way.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    CHAPTER ONE AUTOBIOGRAPHY

    HISTORY = FUTURE

    At 21 years old, I could have a conversation with my kneeand enjoy a beer at the same time. My problems started waybefore that though. When I was a kid, my knees clicked oncommand. My mother warned of permanent problems to frightenme.

    I grew, and my problems shrunk. But my left knee stillclicked, and after a season of basketball I ended up in thedoctors office with a broken finger and achy knees.

    He did his special teststwisting, bending, and turningwaiting for me to wince. I didnt. He asked for my activity history,which was pretty loaded. I played basketball six days a week andI was a closet acrobat. My problems werent shocking to him.Telling your doctor that you do backflips in your backyard wontend well.

    My knees were overused and my finger was beyond repair.At least, thats what he told me. I was given pills and told to rest.Turns out he was right about my finger. My knees, not so much.

    Years later, I fell in love with barbell weight training. Legswere my strong point, and I squatted often (to stave off upperbody embarrassment) using what most call an olympic squathigh bar position, close stance, and deep. My knees would hurt,just like they did in high school. I didnt think they could be fixed.After all, they were just overused, right? What was I supposed todo? Not walk?

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    I mingled around the fitness industry and became obsessedwith fitness, strength, and health. My favorite book was StartingStrength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. After reading thesquat chapter, my high bar squat transformed into the low barsquat described in the book.

    An injury forced me to start back at the beginning, so I ranthe Starting Strength program as written. After work one day, Iprepared for my workout three sets of five, at 335. During myfirst work set, my right knee popped as instability radiated throughmy leg. My knee always made noise, but it was never this audibleand the feeling wasnt the same. Normally, when my knee feltstiff I could make it click to relieve pressure. But I couldnt. Mysuperhero clicking powers were gone. And thats when I learnedthe difference between a click and a pop.

    I guessed that my meniscus was partially torn. I feared thedoctor because I feared surgery. No news was better than badnews.

    The healing process was a struggle. The pain was abovethe tolerable level I seesawed with through my teens. I ended upgoing to a sports medicine doctor. My hopes were low, but mypsyche was so unstable that I needed reassurance.

    My appointment was more of the same that I encounteredfour years backx-rays, tests, and recollection. My kneedescribed my problem better than I could, because I had severecrepitus.

    Surprisingly, my meniscus was healthy, but I was diagnosedwith patellar tracking problems and patellar tendonitis. Instead ofgoing to physical therapy (he said I didnt need to because my

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    quadriceps were well muscled), he gave me some exercises anda knee brace.

    My medical expenses were adding up fast. My insurancedidnt cover the $50 brace, which broke when I tried to put it on.Add the two $25 co-pays from my other visits, and thats how youblow $100 on knee pain.

    Knee Tip #1

    Swallow your pride and make sure your pain isnt a seriousmedical problem. Check with your insurance company and make

    sure this wont cost more than a co-pay. You also want to bewary of anything the doctor tries to give you, like a brace. These

    are considered luxuries, not covered under insurance.

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    CHAPTER TWO PAIN

    MEDICAL BABBLE

    Youve read everything the internet has to offer. You knowthe anatomy of the knee inside and out. Youre 100% confident insaying you know what your problem is.

    Youre wrong.

    You need to see the inside. This requires a doctorappointment, so schedule one. X-Rays are better than youreyeball, but not as good as a MRI or CT-Scan. See what yourinsurance covers so you dont screw yourself financially. Andbefore you go, have a diagnosis ready for the doctor. Tellingthem what you think is wrong will give them an idea of not onlywhere the pain is, but also what youre going through.

    INJURIES

    Injuries can occur for many reasons. When it comes to kneepain that can be fixed without surgery, youre looking for an achypain that fades in and out with no origin. The pain is chronic,meaning it has been occurring over a long time. Typical overuseproblems fall into this category. What starts as knee painbecomes pain left of the knee cap, which becomes, I need acane. Although this sounds depressing, chronic injuries dontrequire the needles, knives, and Novocain.

    But acute injuries surely do. They affect the deep structuresthat stabilize the joint, are usually severe, and can be traced backto one moment in time. Snapping or popping noises are signs,

  • Anthony Mychal 2012 - http://anthonymychal.com An Athletes Guide to Chronic Knee Pain

    especially after one particular incident. Fall off of a ladder andhear a pop? Yeah, you have problems far beyond my control

    IF YOU WANT TO SEE MOREOF THE BOOK, CHECK OUTTHE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF

    AN ATHLETES GUIDE TOKNEE PAIN

    Thanks for reading. Be sure to share this with as many people as you can!-Anthony Mychal