How to Fix Lateral Knee Pain for Climbers (LCL, IT Band, Meniscus, Outer Knee Pain)

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// TIMESTAMPS //
00:00 What this video is about
00:22 The anatomy involved in lateral knee pain
00:45 Biceps femoris
01:05 IT band
01:42 Lateral meniscus
02:03 LCL
02:39 Mechanism of injury chart
02:51 How to test and diagnose lateral knee pain causes
03:21 Test 1: Resisted Knee Flexion
03:43 Test 2: Specific Palpation
04:23 Test 3: Varus Test
04:51 Test 4: Meniscus Test Cluster
06:52 Diagnosis Chart
07:06: Treatments for lateral knee pain
08:07 More information about rehab exercises
08:38 Treatment chart
08:57 An added bonus!

// SHOW NOTES //
Episode 104

No matter what’s causing your lateral or “outer” knee pain, it is treatable! So in this video we’ll discuss why lateral knee pain happens in climbers, how to diagnose your specific issue, and what you can do on your own to fix it. Let’s goooo!

Lateral knee pain from climbing-related activities is common due to the high stresses we impose on our legs while heel hooking, high stepping, hiking, and of course falling.

These activities can result in traumatic or overuse-related injuries to one or more of the following tissues:

The biceps femoris
The iliotibial band or ITB
The lateral meniscus
The lateral collateral ligament or LCL

Biceps Femoris
The biceps femoris is one of our hamstring muscles. The tendon for this muscle attaches on the back, lateral side of our knees. That tendon can get damaged if loaded with excessive force, which can easily happen during a heel hook. This maneuver often places rotary forces on the knee as well, which can exacerbate the strain on the biceps femoris and other hamstring muscles.

Ran out of room!! For the rest, please check out the show notes:

// DISCLAIMER //
As always, exercises and rehab programs are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting a new training or recovery program.

// IMAGE ATTRIBUTIONS //
- Knee X-ray: Mikael Häggström, M.D. - Author info - Reusing images- Conflicts of interest:  NoneMikael Häggström, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

#trainclimbsendrepeat #climbingtraining #physicaltherapist

[HoopersBeta]

PSA: If you have catching or locking of the knee PLEASE go see a doctor so they can give you a proper assessment. :)

[domxgun]

Amazing stuff right here. Not a climber, but I do hike and run on extra gnarly terrain. This is exactly what I needed. Time stamped and straight to the point. Thank you!

[mwoods]

Wow, so timely for me and really well presented. You made me feel a lot more optimistic about my lateral knee pain that I sustained from climbing a couple weeks ago. Thank you!

[Phyto_Chemicals]

BEST VIDEO on the subject, comprehensive, easy to understand, I subscribed and I'm grateful I found your channel!

[ultraseal]

Thank you so much for making this video! This content is insanely helpful!!!

[josue]

20yrs og rehab since Iraq and yrars of trail running n marathons. Great info. Thank You!

[pbaxmannjennings]

I am wondering why this outer knee pain is happening to me for a couple of weeks now. Finally I know exactly what it is!

[Lazankas]

This is freaking amazing, Jason! Taped my Biceps Femoris and feel better already. Saved the video for future rehab. Thank You :)

[Reckoning]

This helped a lot!
I wasn’t sure whether my pain was caused by a meniscus injury or IT-band syndrome but aside from slight pain if I pressed right next to my knee where the it band is located, I checked negative on all of those tests.
I ran a marathon and went back to running too early. I experienced a little pain after the second run.
I only feel pain after running a few miles and the pain always goes away after stretching and waiting for a bit. if I ran for more than 10 miles I would feel the pain a little when walking down the stairs but nothing serious. Yet.
I’ll go see a doctor regardless.
The next race is up in April.

[davidpleydell]

Great stuff. I'd be stoked if you could do a video on PRP injections for treating things like meniscus injuries and arthritis. I tore my medial meniscus bouldering in 2017, had 4 years of knee instability (medial dislocation) and reinjury. Then took a PRP injection last year, followed by lots of physio. The result is a much more stable knee and I can now do lots of stuff that was impossible in the previous 4 years (flagging, breast stroke, dancing etc). IMO more people should know about PRP as a treatment option.

[darknights]

Thank you for Uploading, very informative & exactly what I was looking for 👍

[demoman]

just adding a data point: just high grade partially tore my LCL (FCL) and low grade partially tore my PFL while doing a high intense heel hook (MRI results). it does happen! heel hooks are a staple of my strengths, so this one came as quite a surprise. there was a loud pop (re very fkn loud, it sounds like a tree branch snapping...) but I was able to walk out of the crag, with my dog pulling... lol. I was shocked nothing was completely ruptured by how gnarly it sounded. anyways, really nice video here! glad I have my ortho and PT onboard to help out with the process. definitely recommend seeking professional help if you can.

[CJski]

would love to see more about wrist injuries!!

[jrodericklane]

Unlikely LCL heel hook injury unless you do what Pete did in that Magnus video :)

[brianbrenner]

Do you hear of many people getting inner knee pain, especially from heel hooks? I've been dealing with that, but not sure if it is something common with a known fix.

[teomalchio]

The cure: just campus everything, no more leg pain 😂

[chazott]

exactly the content I was looking for. Thank you!

[OanDeWaal]

Please listen to Dr Hooper! I had a grade 3 LCL, popliteofibular ligament and popliteus tear (which makes up the posterior lateral corner, and yes it was traumatic).

Interestingly enough, it wasn't during a fall, I just pulled SUPER hard with my heel hook using the outside (lateral) of my heel while on the climb. (As I am tall and don't fit the box properly, this was the only beta for me). After hearing a loud BANG in my knee, I decided to push myself off the climb and fall on the boulder pad on my back, so that my knee doesn't get injured more. Everyone in the area (even far off) rushed to me as they heard my knee go. Luckily there was a medical doctor at the crag.

After seeing a few knee specialists, it turns out I (k)needed reconstructive surgery Surgery went very well (Anciero reconstruction technique). Doing my rehab and looking forward to start climbing again.

The climb that has taken many knees in Rocklands - A Question of Balance (V7/8):

Be safe and use proper heel hook technique!

[scottkerr]

Wonder if anyone could direct me. None of the tests caused me any pain.  It only hurts when my knee is externally rotating. Pigeon stretch is painful. Any sort of torque force, like heel jams and heel hooks where the foot is rotated outwards. Straight pulling or extending my leg causes no pain.

My knee tweaked on a heel hook and has been bothering me ever since.

[masoncostoff]

I have an injury that has weakened my knee and is causing it to catch. The part confusing me is the pain is almost solely felt in the mid lateral calf. I only experience pain when rotating my foot outward and it amplifies when I then pull into my heel. Lots of good information in this video but I cannot seem to figure this out. None of the tests caused me any discomfort.