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How to stop knee pain from basketball
How to stop knee pain from basketball
Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper's Knee) | Memorial Hermann
When it comes to sports like basketball and volleyball, athletes spend a lot of time jumping as they attempt to get balls in - or over - nets. Knees take a lot of stress, particularly for athletes playing in competitive sports. In fact, activities that require running and jumping exert a force on the knees of up to nine to 11 times one’s body weight. All that jumping can cause a knee injury known as patellar tendonitis or jumper’s knee.
Patellar tendonitis is a chronic overuse injury to the patellar tendon. The injury, commonly found in people who play basketball or volleyball, causes inflammation as a result of chronic, repetitive jumping and excessive exertion of the knees.
Left untreated, jumper’s knee can result in prolonged pain during and after the activity and an inability to perform at a high level. The repetitive stress of continued play can lead to micro-tears or a complete rupture of the patellar tendon. If this happens, surgery is required to repair the tendon.
Surgery for patellar tendonitis is a last resort. It is best to recognize and treat the condition early to minimize lost time due to the injury.
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Patellar Tendonitis Symptoms
- Patella (kneecap) laxity or an unstable patella, which includes pain, swelling and inflammation of the kneecap
- Hamstring tightness, indicated by poor flexibility in the back of the thigh
- Heel cord/achilles tendon tightness, which is identified by poor flexibility in the rear of the ankle
- Muscular asymmetry, or disparity between muscle size in legs, which can cause muscle shrinkage
- Ankle dorsi flexion weakness, which affects the muscles around the ankle
To prevent patellar tendonitis, athletes should have a thorough pre-, mid- and post-season strength and conditioning exercise program, as well as maintain lower extremity flexibility.
Weight lifting and cardiovascular workouts are good methods of avoiding jumper’s knee.
Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper's Knee) Treatment
Treatment for jumper’s knee involves resting, applying ice to the injury, compressing the injury and elevating the affected area. According to Cooper, the letters R-E-S-T explain how best to rest after a jumper’s knee injury.
'R' stands for rehabilitation, 'E' stands for exercises prescribed by a physician, 'S' stands for strength and endurance training and 'T' stands for time off from the activity that caused the injury. The athlete can still use many machines in the gym or ride a bicycle. You want to stay active to avoid muscle atrophy.
In addition, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, is used as part of the treatment. Athletes can run a risk of re-injury if they do not participate in strength and conditioning exercises.
Individualized Treatment Approach
Each individual with patellar tendonitis must be approached differently. Treatment depends on the phase of the injury, whether it is acute or chronic. There is no timeline in recovering from jumper’s knee - recovery may take a week for one person and a month for someone else.
Jumper’s knee is most often found in adults aged 30 or older, especially those “weekend athletes” who do not regularly do strength and conditioning exercises.
The condition is also frequently found in children ages 10-16 because their muscles are still growing and developing.
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Basketball Knee Injury: Bullet Proof Your Knees
Basketball Knee Injury: Bullet Proof Your Knees
- Post author:The Basketball Doctors
- Post published:March 25, 2020
- Post category:Rehab
In basketball, lower body injuries are very common and affect the ability for athletes to play during the season. Studies have shown that up to 66% of basketball injuries occur in the lower body. Also, knee injuries are the second most common injury in all levels of play in basketball. Knee injuries can be nagging and result in increased time off; furthermore, knee injuries can be caused by multiple factors: trauma, overuse, and non-contact.
To maintain knee health and decrease the risk for knee injuries, one must address issues above and below the knee joint. In other words, we have to look at the hips and the ankles. For that reason, we should have good hip control with glute strength, and normal ankle mobility to decrease unnecessary stress on the knee. With that in mind, here are our top 3 exercises that address the 3 joints (ankle, knee, and hip) to bullet proof knees.
Glute Strength
Glute Strength is an important factor for knee health since it controls motions at the hip. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common injuries in basketball, especially for the female athlete. Studies have shown that up to 64% of ACL injuries are a result of a non-contact incident. A non-contact ACL injury occurs when the bones (the tibia and femur) twist opposite each other, or over extending. Therefore, having glute strength to help control the femur against twisting or over extending is crucial.
One of our top exercises for glute strength is the standing fire hydrant. The standing fire hydrant with a loop forces the stance leg to prevent femoral internal rotation and adduction, which is what we don’t want. Finally, this exercise is performed for static holds to help improve the mind-muscle connection.
Quadriceps Strength
Another common basketball injury is patellar tendinopathy, or better known as jumper’s knee. It is usually an overuse injury due to excessive jumping and lack of quadriceps strength. One of our favorite exercises that we use to help decrease the risk for patellar tendinopathy is the Spanish squat. The Spanish squat allows us to load the quadricep muscle while maintaining a vertical shin. As a result, we are able to activate the quadriceps muscle more without compressing the patellofemoral joint.
Ankle Mobility
One of the biggest culprits we see for knee injuries is decreased ankle mobility. Studies have shown that following ankle injuries, the ability to dorsiflex (bend) the ankle is decreased if not treated. Consequently, the decreased dorsiflexion leads to changes in the loading of the Achilles’ tendon and increases the demand of the knee joint to compensate for the lack of motion at the ankle. Ankle range of motion is commonly limited by muscle or joint restrictions. In this video, we will go over how to perform self mobilization to help decrease joint restrictions at the ankle and help improve ankle dorsiflexion range of motion.
Sources
Bird, Stephen; Markwick, William. Musculoskeletal screening and functional testing: Considerations for basketball players. 2016
Powers, Christopher. Functional Biomechanics of the lower quarter. 2017
Rudavsky, Aliza et al. Physiotherapy management of patellar tendinopathy. 2014
Terada Masufmi, Pietrosime Brian and Gribble Phillip. Therapeutic Interventions for Increasing ankle dorsiflexion after ankle sprain: A systematic review. 2013
Tags: Basketball Injury, Basketball Injury Prevention, Knee
Why knees hurt after training and how to treat them
Properly structured workouts can guarantee good shape and well-being. However, sometimes the training process is overshadowed by pain during class or after exercise. Before continuing the training, it is necessary to understand what caused the pain and take measures to eliminate it. If your knees hurt after a workout, this can mean both an incorrect technique for performing strength or cardio elements, as well as the presence of diseases or injuries.
The main causes of pain
Most often, pain or a feeling that it is very aching in the knees after physical exertion occurs due to the following reasons:
- Insufficient stretching and warming up of the joints and muscles before training.
- No stretching at the end of the workout.
- Incorrect exercise technique, especially with heavy weights.
- Imbalance in the development of muscle groups.
- Overload.
- Frequent wearing of elastic bandages and bandages.
- Lack of vitamins and malnutrition.
- Diseases and injuries of the knees.
In order to identify a possible cause of pain, it is necessary to follow the correct training and make sure that the diet is balanced, that the body has enough vitamins. To determine the disease, consult a doctor.
Possible diseases
The first thing to do when pain occurs is to seek medical help. The best option for consultation is a sports doctor who is well versed in the professional loads of athletes and can choose the right course of treatment and give recommendations on training. A common cause of knee problems is a decrease in the amount of synovial fluid that fills the joints, which contains nutrients. With its reduction, the cartilage begins to rub against each other, which causes inflammation and pain.
Other common conditions that cause knee pain are:
- Bursitis is an inflammation of the synovial bursa of the joint.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease.
- Gout - accumulation of uric acid salts.
- Gonarthrosis - destruction of the cartilage tissue of the knee joint.
Another cause of pain may be the consequences of old injuries, arthrosis, meniscus injury, tendon sprain, bruise. Some damage is not immediately noticeable, but begins to appear months or even years later. An examination by a specialist and x-rays will help to identify the cause of the problem, after which appropriate treatment will be prescribed.
It is better to stop training until the disease is detected.
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Suggested Therapy
In the event of an illness or injury, proper treatment is prescribed to help manage the problem. These may include medications and physical therapy procedures. But if it's about improper training or an unbalanced diet, then the problem can be solved without medication.
First you need to adjust your diet:
- You need to consume the right amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, in accordance with the chosen training and lifestyle.
- Follow the caloric intake, taking into account the calories burned in the gym.
- Be sure to consume enough water, do not ignore the presence of healthy fats in food, which prevent wear and tear of the joints. Even on fat burning programs, you need to consume some vegetable fats in order to maintain the elasticity of the ligaments.
You also need to follow the technique of performing the exercises, and pay special attention to squats, which most often injure the knee joints with incorrect technique. Cardio activities such as running, climbing stairs, and jumping rope should be avoided if body weight is excessive. A lot of weight puts pressure on the knees and damages them when loaded.
Be sure to warm up the muscles well before training, warming up and stretching prepares the body for further hard work and helps to avoid damage. After training, you also need to take time to stretch to consolidate the effect.
The use of elastic bandages should be avoided: bandaging accelerates the wear and tear of the joints, as it interferes with normal blood circulation. Therefore, without special reasons, you should not abuse the wearing of bandages and dressings. If their imposition is associated with a disease, it is better not to train the injured limb for some time and pay attention to other muscle groups.
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Methods of pain relief
If the doctor has not identified an injury or diseases that are treated with special medicines, then joint ointments can be used for temporary pain relief. It is advisable to choose special sports ointments that are aimed at recovery after training. The ointment will relieve inflammation and pain and help you recover faster.
It is best to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: they slow down the secretion of enzymes that cause inflammation, and also reduce swelling of the joints. Thanks to the use of such ointments, the pain disappears, and the mobility of the leg is restored.
Common ointments from this group:
- Diclofenac-acry, Ortofen.
- Nise.
- Artrosilene.
- Long.
- Indomethacin.
- Quickgel.
It is better to consult with your doctor, who will more accurately select the appropriate medicine. Sometimes it is recommended to apply warming gels and ointments, it all depends on the nature of the pain and the cause that caused it.
Athletes are also recommended to take the Glucosamine-chondroitin complex, which improves the condition of cartilage, nourishes the joints and connective tissue, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. This is a vitamin complex sold without a doctor's prescription.
How to train properly?
The most common cause of post-workout pain is incorrect squat technique, especially if the exercise is performed with a heavy barbell on the shoulders. Incomplete squatting causes inhibition of movement of the knee joints, which overloads them excessively. This can be avoided by squatting deeper: at least parallel to the floor or lower.
While doing squats, the knees must not go beyond the toes. And on the rise, they cannot be completely straightened, the knees should remain slightly bent. Also, you do not need to immediately take on large weights. The increase in load should occur gradually, without causing discomfort. Heavy projectiles can only be used after the technique has been fully honed.
It is important for leg training to maintain a balance in the development of antagonist muscles. The fact is that the front of the thigh (quadriceps) is stronger than the back surface - the biceps of the thigh. Therefore, a more developed muscle during training takes on the main load. This causes an imbalance in development and can lead to wear of the knee joint.
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Following the technique, building the right exercise program and a healthy diet will help to avoid pain and not harm your health.
causes and best ways to get rid of pain
Strength training, morning jogging, cycling, football, basketball are good for health, help strengthen the muscle corset, help keep the whole body in good shape. But not joints. These structural elements of the musculoskeletal system sometimes experience excessive loads during intensive training. Short-term pain that quickly disappears after a good stretch is usually provoked by lactic acid. It accumulates in the muscles, but there is a feeling of discomfort in the joints.
If the knees hurt for a long time after training, then a thorough diagnosis is necessary. The examination cannot be postponed, especially with a gradual increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome. There is a possibility of developing an inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic process in the knee joint. Then you have to forget about training until complete recovery. Otherwise, increased physical activity will cause the rapid progression of articular pathology.
It is the knee joints after training that hurt most often due to the impact on them of static and dynamic loads. When performing exercises, changes occur in the musculoskeletal apparatus or osteoarticular elements. For example, when lifting a barbell, a person's ligaments undergo a certain test for strength and elasticity. They stretch, and then take an anatomically correct position.
If the nature of the changes is temporary, then pain in the knee joints is considered a variant of the norm. Under what conditions can discomfort after training be considered natural and does not require medical attention:
- mild, short-term pain occurs due to an increase in the concentration of lactic acid in the muscle fibers. It is formed during anaerobic glycolysis and is excreted from the body within a few hours. The rate of lactic acid metabolism depends on the fitness of the athlete's muscles. To speed up its removal, stretching exercises, massage, and a short rest are practiced;
- there is a dull aching pain that does not last long. It is not localized at a specific point, but extends to the entire knee. Usually such sensations are experienced by athletes who lift a lot of weight, or are engaged in freestyle wrestling. The dull nature of the pain syndrome is explained by temporary compression of the knee joint. Discomfort also occurs as the body naturally ages. With age, an insufficient amount of collagen is produced, which is responsible for the elasticity of the connective articular structures. Their tensile strength decreases, so the impact of previous loads can cause microtrauma to hyaline cartilage. In the future, this can lead to the development of gonarthrosis, a severe pathology that is difficult to treat. If after 40-45 years old athletes after training their knees hurt more often and more intensely, then it's time to reconsider their regimen, reduce the load.
Pathological causes of pain
Pain is a protective reaction of the body to the impact of external or internal damaging factors. There are many pathological causes of discomfort, they are very diverse. Experienced sports doctors are able to make a diagnosis based on a person's complaints and external examination. To confirm it, instrumental studies are assigned. The most informative radiography, arthroscopy, MRI, CT. A certain hint for the doctor is the sport that the patient is engaged in.
Running
People start jogging to lose weight, prolong youth, and improve their overall health. After the first classes, even under the guidance of an experienced instructor, pain occurs in the knees. Over time, they disappear, as the strength and elasticity of ligaments, tendons, and muscles increase significantly. But, if the intensity of discomfort increases in the runner, then we can assume the development of pathology. Why do my knees hurt after a workout?
- traumatic injury to the meniscus. With an incorrect distribution of loads when jogging, the lower leg may unsuccessfully turn relative to the thigh. The nature of the pain that occurs is sharp, acute. The main symptoms of meniscus injury are extensive swelling, increased severity of discomfort during palpation and during movement;
- dislocation of the patella. Displacement of the patella occurs after a fall with an emphasis on the knee or a strong blow. The pain is sharp, but disappears quickly. After contacting a doctor, therapy takes only a few days. If an athlete neglects medical care, then a habitual dislocation of the knee joint is gradually formed;
- chondromalacia patella is a pathological condition in which the cartilage of the posterior surface of the patella is destroyed. After a run, aching pain is felt, which disappears only after a long rest. It is urgent to consult a doctor to stop the degenerative-dystrophic process.
Runners are more likely to go to the emergency room if the ankle ligaments are damaged or the Achilles tendon is partially torn during a sharp start. But with excessive loads, the ligamentous-tendon apparatus of the knee is also injured. Despite adequate therapy, sometimes there is pain in the joints after exercise.
Lifting the barbell, dumbbells
These are the most traumatic sports for knee joints that experience excessive loads. Professional athletes often have problems at the end of their career due to microtrauma of hyaline cartilage, leading to the development of gonarthrosis. The leading symptom of this type of osteoarthritis is pain that worsens with flexion and extension of the joint. If the joints hurt after a workout, then doctors suggest the occurrence of such pathologies:0145
- arthrosis of the knee, various forms of arthritis. Their development is indicated by uncomfortable sensations that do not disappear for a long time and the appearance of crepitus - a crunch during squats;
- Osgood-Schlatter disease is an aseptic destruction of the tuberosity and nucleus of the tibia. Usually the disease is diagnosed in young athletes.
After lifting weights, pain in the knees occurs due to previous injuries: damage to the meniscus, rupture of one of the cruciate ligaments. In the connective tissue structures, strands are formed that reduce the functional activity of the joint, provoking its instability.
Race walking and cycling
While walking and pedaling a bicycle, the knee joints move monotonously, and this is a common cause of damage to any joint. When a knee hurts after a workout, and this condition lasts for at least an hour, then this may be a clinical manifestation of the following pathologies:
- Osteoarthritis is a relapsing disease accompanied by gradual destruction of cartilage tissues. To stabilize the joint in the body, the process of formation of osteophytes (growth of the edges of the bone plates) starts. While walking, they squeeze the sensitive nerve roots, causing severe pain. Discomfort in the knees after training is also explained by injury to nearby soft tissues;
- gouty, rheumatoid, psoriatic arthritis. Pain after walking or cycling may indicate an inflammatory process developing in the joints. If no treatment was carried out at this stage, then soon you will have to forget about training forever. The destruction of hyaline cartilage will begin, which ends with disability;
- osteochondritis dissecans - aseptic necrosis, leading to the separation of a small area of cartilage from the underlying bone and its displacement into the joint cavity. As a result, a freely lying intra-articular body is formed, which provokes the appearance of pain during and after walking.
Acute pain syndrome is a sign of a knee injury, after which any movement becomes impossible. Discomfort in the joint area of low intensity is felt due to a previous injury. For example, if the synovial capsule was damaged after a fall, then areas of fibrous tissue may form on it during the healing process. With this type of injury, the athlete needs to dose the load on the knee.
Basic methods of pain relief
Pain that occurs naturally is easily eliminated. Usually, stroking the knee is practiced for this, and then vigorously rubbing it. There is an intense rush of blood to the structural elements of the joint, muscle spasm is eliminated, and the excretion of lactic acid is accelerated. Professional athletes know well what to do if their knees hurt after a workout:
- straighten up, put your hands on your sides, rise, focusing on the toe first of one, then the other leg. Vigorously shake your feet, roll on your heels. Perform exercises 20 times in 2-3 sets;
- legs wide apart and slightly bent, the position of the hands is arbitrary. Gently rock from side to side to warm up. Then make shallow lunges, using both knees;
- stand up straight, straighten your back, turn your legs back one by one and use your hands to pull your feet up to your buttocks. Perform the exercise 10-15 times in 3 sets.
Sometimes painful sensations persist even after massaging the knees and physiotherapy exercises. Sports doctors have various types of gels and ointments with a cooling effect. Usually their main ingredients are menthol and camphor. They act on subcutaneous tissue receptors, showing analgesic, distracting, locally irritating activity. After applying the ointment or gel, a pleasant feeling of coolness arises, and uncomfortable sensations completely disappear. What else can you do if your knee joints hurt after a workout:
- use cold compresses. Cooling helps to reduce the intensity of discomfort. A bag of ice cubes wrapped in a thick cloth is applied to the knees for 10-15 minutes;
- rest for 30-60 minutes. You can just lie down or sit down, and put your feet on a pillow or put on a low stool;
- fix the knee with an elastic bandage. For this, a narrow bandage of medium or high extensibility is used, which wraps around the knee several times. Pharmacies and medical equipment stores sell sports bandages that are comfortable to wear and do not restrict movement. Sports doctors recommend using them during training to reduce the likelihood of injury.
What to do when the joints hurt after a workout, only the doctor decides after carrying out diagnostic measures.