Gracilis muscle injury?

[Tracy Zak]

I have bad knee to ankle angles and have some pronation in my feet. I used orthotics but still am suseptible to injury and waiting for a new set to come in which may help. My latest injury seems to be my gracilis muscles in both knees which was initiated by back squats. I was doing an insanely low weight (for me) and since I really focus on form, my body's bad biomechanics is the only I answer I have to what caused the injury. I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to strengthen or heal that area. I know weak hammys and abductors usually affect back squats but this gracilis area escapes me. It won't hurt at all, then it is painful doing silly things. I'm missing my oly lifts immensely and am not getting answers by docs. The PT they gave me was for hip work, but those exercises irritated my back and were useless. I'm tempted to tape up my ankles and try to create a new knee/ankle angle, but not sure if that's the answer. Kiensio taping helped a little, but I wasn't doing a heavy workout either.
If anyone has ideas that'd be helpful! I know I'm going to have to do some isolation exercises which isn't condusive to crossfit workouts, but obviously my little gracilis muscles are having to do more work than they should which again, could be to the pronation pullling that muscle harder than it should, or the muscle weakness in the other areas which make it work harder. If it was sore all the time, I'd say it was injured...since it hurts during certain movements, it makes me think that its working harder than it should. Help!!

[Steven Low]

What exactly are your biomechanical problems? Collapsing knees... from collapsed arches?

how do you know you injured your gracilis? Is it a strain or tendon problem or what?

These will likely help you a lot wfs:
http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2009/1...-dysfunctions/
http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/1...g-on-the-feet/

[Tracy Zak]

Pretty much collapsed arches with bad knee angles. My knees angle in more than they are supposed to, in addition to my pronation of the feet pulling them in even more....e.g. if a person's knee is relatively above the ankle...my knees are much inward and not aligned with the ankle which put added strain to the joint. The integrity of my ligaments are good based on what little doc help I got....have some patella femoral issues, but the reason I think its a gracilis issue, is the location of the pain, and the way the pain behaves. I think I had a tear in the muscle and with the gracilis being so think its not like there are fibers around it to help....whereas something like a quad, has a greater fiber area. I am not getting much medical help, and after 8 weeks or so, i'm frustrated. Not sure if injections would help either. I also have hip issues which put strain on my gait which also could be a factor! I just wasn't given the best structural body, but I'll figure out how to train smarter...or win the lottery and get medical attention or go to medical school myself! I'll check out those sites! Thanks!!

[Steven Low]

Definitely work on strengthening your feet muscles and hopefully get some arch (or what little of it you have left) strength back in there. Even when you get the orthotics you should be doing that as well.

Lay off the painful stuff for now and definitely work on strengthening the weak links even if they're isolation exercises... not the time to be getting another injury while waiting for the orthotics honestly

[Tracy Zak]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Definitely work on strengthening your feet muscles and hopefully get some arch (or what little of it you have left) strength back in there. Even when you get the orthotics you should be doing that as well.

Lay off the painful stuff for now and definitely work on strengthening the weak links even if they're isolation exercises... not the time to be getting another injury while waiting for the orthotics honestly

Orthotics are in...now off to get new shoes and see what to do!