With the endless amounts of leg work that CrossFit does, knee discomfort is one thing that as a coach is a common complaint. As an athlete, you might hear that squatting is bad for you and that you will ruin your knees. It is becoming more common that you see people wearing knee sleeves when weight training, especially on leg day. So what is a knee sleeve and how important is it ?!!
Knee sleeves are designed to protect the knee from future injury or risk of damage. They are not the same thing as a knee brace because knee braces are designed and used to protect a previous injury from further endangerment.Knee sleeves also add a valuable compression force that increases blood flow and reduces pain during and after your workout which helps to reduce the swelling associated with weight training.
So when should you use knee sleeves? If you are NEW to weight lifting, wearing knee sleeves are not going to benefit you greatly because the pressure from the weight is not overbearing on the joints. As soon as you are lifting a significant amount of weight, the pressure starts to grind away at the joints and ligaments. They would be good to wear for squats, snatches, and clean and jerks.
Simply put:
technique + proper equipment = proper strength and efficiency long-term
If you are interested in getting knee sleeves, click on the Rouge link on our Fitness Heroics Web page and search Knee Sleeves ! Always inquire with a coach to see if getting a product would be beneficial to you and at the stage of the lifting game you are in !
http://www.roguefitness.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=knee+sleeves
References:
http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/the-advantages-of-knee-sleeves-what-they-are-and-when-to-wear-them
1. Hsu, JD., Michael, J., Fisk, J. “Atlas of Orthoses and Assistive Devices.” Philadelphia: Mosby. 3rd ed. pp.420–421.
2. AAOS Position Statement., “The use of knee braces.” American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Accessed 03/02/14.
3. Tanner, L., “Knee Replacements Soar Among US Older Folk.” Huffington Post. Accessed 03/02/14.