Newbie old guy with knee injury.....

[gpaaske]

I'm 48 and just started playing late last summer, although I've been playing with frisbee's my whole life. Started out throwing side arm but developed a pretty good rhbh this spring. My right knee has been bothering me all summer and finally, while tring to throw a big drive, my knee popped......torn cartlidge, and i might have to have it scoped. My questions are: 1. Is there a problem with my technique that might have caused the injury? 2. Is there a excersice/stretching routine that could help prevent future injury, and maybe even help me come back quicker? Summers wearing on here in Michigan. I absolutely love the game and just wish I would have discovered it 20 years ago. HELP!

[Eric O]

ouch. It hurts just thinking about it. I think you can place less stress on the knee by keeping it slightly bent as you plant and rotate on it. May also help to angle your right foot a little more towards your target (less than 90 deg).

I've had some left knee injuries in the past, from other sports, but I've never been able to find any stretches or anything that help loosen it up.

You've got 20 years on me, and I still wish I had picked up this game long ago instead of just lately. Good luck with the knee rehab, hope you can get back out there soon.

[calvarycoffee]

i don't know if this advice helps or not, eric.

but my buddy tore his knee playing basketball 2 summers ago. when the paramedics arrived, they looked at his shoes and asked him if they were new. in fact, they were new and that was the first time he had worn them.

the paramedic replied, "that's why you broke your knee. . .you should never do any activity with new shoes."

as for my buddy, he now has 2 metal rods in his knee now and regrets every bit of it.

so. . .my advice is to have the right kind of shoes and make sure they are broken in.

as for stretching. . .keep the muscles warm, cold muscles dont stretch. i used to have patella tendinitous (sp?) and daily stretching helps tremendously.

this is what has helped me with my knees:
-knees on floor, sit on ankles, lean back. a couple reps of 30 seconds each time. try not to bounce.

there are probablly tons of info on the web about stretching.

best of luck!

[Blake_T]

sounds like you are probably jamming your pivot foot. your foot should be able to rotate on the ground freely. an easy fix is to bend the knee more and plant with your toes pointing at an angle less than 90 deg.