Knee Problems

Defending Olympic champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of the London Games on Thursday, leaving the tennis competition without one of its leading stars and robbing Spain's team of its flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Nadal won the French Open for a record seventh time this year but has struggled with left knee problems at times during the season. Shortly after winning his 11th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon. Nadal has not played since.

An MRI exam conducted Tuesday on Andrew Bynum's knees revealed even more problems for the 76ers center, Bynum said. The results showed new developments: cartilage swelling in both knees and a bone bruise in his left knee, he said. Bynum previously had been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee. On Tuesday, Bynum visited David W. Altchek, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Before Friday's game with Utah, Bynum said he had experienced a setback in his rehab, which the Sixers hope will make him available to play by the middle of January.

Derian Hatcher's season is about to be interrupted. The Flyers defenseman is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today and will miss two to four weeks. Hatcher has a fluid buildup and possible damage to his cartilage. "Hopefully, it's just as simple as it sounds," he said. "I think it is. It was feeling pretty good. I think I injured it in the weight room after a game this season. " Hatcher said he experienced a weird feeling in his knee after doing leg presses.

Some people outside the locker room of the West Chester University football team may not have heard of Joe Wright. They probably don't know that he's one of the best quarterbacks in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Perhaps, if they're casual college football fans, folks are not aware of his multiple knee injuries and subsequent surgeries - and his drive to overcome them. Wright is an NCAA Division II football player, which could account for the lack of recognition in a state in which Division I power Penn State reigns supreme.

Kristen Sells sat in the stands and iced down her left knee. The Ridley senior has devoted a lot of time to her knees the last two years, so the scene after yesterday's battle with Upper Darby for the Central League volleyball title was not unusual. But for once Sells could look at her knee problems and smile. The Green Raiders had beaten the Royals, 16-14, 13-15, 15-1, and all of Sells' hard work to come back from tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in both knees was worthwhile.

TELL ME when this sounds familiar: Cut your losses. He doesn't really want to play here. He's not a leader. The franchise would be better off not re-signing him as a free agent and just concentrating on building for the future instead. If I were talking about Philadelphia, it would be easy to identify such thoughts with respect to crestfallen 76ers center Andrew Bynum, whose disastrous 2012-13 season sank the Sixers the way the iceberg sank the Titanic. But for those of you who think the Los Angeles Lakers pulled a fast one on the Sixers when they sent Bynum and his degenerative knees to South Philadelphia last August in a blockbuster four-team trade, there is a bit of consolation in the fact that things aren't exactly working out well in "Tinseltown" either.

MY CONCERN is with SEPTA. Why won't the buses come to the curb? They are stopping in the middle of the street. They won't let the step down for the elderly. I'm starting to have knee problems. I ask the driver to let down the step, and they reply, what for, you can climb the step. That's not all, but some of them, especially the women drivers, are the worst. I think they need anger-management classes to deal with the public. Lila Beckett, Philadelphia

Q: I'm only 25, but since I started running outdoors I have been experiencing knee pain. I currently need to lose about 30 pounds. Should I continue running? Will the pain eventually go away? - Lauren Smith A: First, you should get to your doctor to be sure you do not have any underlying orthopedic problems. If you don't, it's likely that running is just too much stress on your body. (Even the most svelte runners tend to develop knee problems eventually.) A walking program can be just as effective without causing any strain on your legs.

Q: What's the best piece of cardiovascular gym equipment: the bike, elliptical or treadmill? - Roland Masters A: All three are excellent. Your choice depends on personal preferences and whether you have any conditions that might contraindicate use. For example, if you have knee problems, you may want an upright bike. It's nonweight- bearing, low-impact and uses full range of motion; this improves knee strength and stability. If lower back issues are a concern, try a recumbent bike, because biking in a reclined position takes stress off the lower back.

DO IT RIGHT The seated head-to-knee stretches the back and hamstring muscles. This exercise is contraindicated for those with back or knee problems. Sit on the floor with your right leg extended in front of you, toes up, knee facing the ceiling. Bend the left leg and rest left foot on the right inner thigh. As you inhale, life the arms up, then pivot slightly to reach out over the extended leg as you exhale, flattening the back and drawing the chest down. Try to reach your foot, but don't force it. If you have tight hamstrings, keep a slight bend in the right knee.

TELL ME when this sounds familiar: Cut your losses. He doesn't really want to play here. He's not a leader. The franchise would be better off not re-signing him as a free agent and just concentrating on building for the future instead. If I were talking about Philadelphia, it would be easy to identify such thoughts with respect to crestfallen 76ers center Andrew Bynum, whose disastrous 2012-13 season sank the Sixers the way the iceberg sank the Titanic. But for those of you who think the Los Angeles Lakers pulled a fast one on the Sixers when they sent Bynum and his degenerative knees to South Philadelphia last August in a blockbuster four-team trade, there is a bit of consolation in the fact that things aren't exactly working out well in "Tinseltown" either.

As his Creighton teammates bounced all around him and interviewers gathered up the statistical stars of Friday's second-round, 67-63 slugfest over Cincinnati, Grant Gibbs walked off the court the way a middle-aged man walks from his bed in the morning, each step made as if stepping into a hot bath, body bent over just slightly. There would be no television interview for him. No podium appearance, either. The box score wasn't particularly kind - noting only five points and four rebounds for the 6-5 senior, and one more turnover than assist.

Any chance that the 76ers had at having Andrew Bynum play for them this season - or perhaps ever - is gone. Bynum will undergo surgery on both knees Tuesday that will prevent him from playing. "After many months of rehabilitation and consulting with numerous doctors, Andrew and the doctors treating him determined that this is the best course of action at this point," general manager Tony DiLeo said in a statement. The 25-year-old Bynum, who will have part of his $16.5 million salary defrayed by insurance, may never play for the Sixers, despite the fact that the team holds his Larry Bird rights and can pay him more than any other team.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Somebody asked Domonic Brown Thursday whether this was his last chance to win a job with the Phillies. It's funny because the 25-year-old outfielder who was once considered the best minor-league prospect in the game by Baseball America has just over one year of big-league service time. He has stepped to home plate only 492 times in the big leagues. The numbers - a .236 batting average, 12 home runs, 58 RBIs, and a .703 OPS - have not translated to the superstardom expected from the hype he received earlier in his professional career.

Q: I'm only 25, but since I started running outdoors I have been experiencing knee pain. I currently need to lose about 30 pounds. Should I continue running? Will the pain eventually go away? - Lauren Smith A: First, you should get to your doctor to be sure you do not have any underlying orthopedic problems. If you don't, it's likely that running is just too much stress on your body. (Even the most svelte runners tend to develop knee problems eventually.) A walking program can be just as effective without causing any strain on your legs.

DO IT RIGHT The seated head-to-knee stretches the back and hamstring muscles. This exercise is contraindicated for those with back or knee problems. Sit on the floor with your right leg extended in front of you, toes up, knee facing the ceiling. Bend the left leg and rest left foot on the right inner thigh. As you inhale, life the arms up, then pivot slightly to reach out over the extended leg as you exhale, flattening the back and drawing the chest down. Try to reach your foot, but don't force it. If you have tight hamstrings, keep a slight bend in the right knee.

Q: What's the best piece of cardiovascular gym equipment: the bike, elliptical or treadmill? - Roland Masters A: All three are excellent. Your choice depends on personal preferences and whether you have any conditions that might contraindicate use. For example, if you have knee problems, you may want an upright bike. It's nonweight- bearing, low-impact and uses full range of motion; this improves knee strength and stability. If lower back issues are a concern, try a recumbent bike, because biking in a reclined position takes stress off the lower back.

An MRI exam conducted Tuesday on Andrew Bynum's knees revealed even more problems for the 76ers center, Bynum said. The results showed new developments: cartilage swelling in both knees and a bone bruise in his left knee, he said. Bynum previously had been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee. On Tuesday, Bynum visited David W. Altchek, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Before Friday's game with Utah, Bynum said he had experienced a setback in his rehab, which the Sixers hope will make him available to play by the middle of January.

Jeff Ruland says he doesn't know Andrew Bynum, but he understands why so many want to talk to him about the 76ers center. Currently the head men's basketball coach at Division II University of the District of Columbia, the 6-foot-10 Ruland saw his promising NBA career cut short by a knee injury. Bynum hasn't played yet since being dealt in the four-team blockbuster this summer. He has had chronic knee problems and suffered a bone bruise on his right knee during an offseason workout.

DOUG COLLINS was hired 2 years ago. The Doug Collins era began Wednesday. The Sixers this offseason handed Collins the reins, tossed him the keys, sent him the combination to the safe; whatever metaphor fits total commitment, they did that. They remade their front office. They gutted a team that came within a win of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. They did so with the guidance of their 61-year-old head coach. "I'm thrilled that the team believes in me and wants me to be here," Collins said.