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How to take care of your knees basketball
How to take care of your knees basketball
How to look after your knees in basketball – ENERTOR®
Basketball is a fast-moving sport that involves plenty of quick stops and changes of direction on a firm court surface. It’s no surprise that basketball can be tough on a player’s knee joints. Take care of your knees by proactively doing some knee strengthening exercises. Any support you can build around the joint will help protect it against the wear and tear of training and matches.
Give your knees greater strength and durability for basketball by using these three exercises.
Bodyweight quarter squat
This squat is of moderate difficulty, so you can easily do 25-30 reps before tiring. The higher rep count means you’ll be able to build more muscle on your quads and around the joint. Stand with your hips back and a straight spine. Drop your hips down and bend with the knees so they reach a 45-degree angle. Push back to standing while keeping weight in your heels.
Lateral lunges
This lunge will not only help you to look after your knees in basketball but also help you to improve your weight control when you’re making quick moves on the court. Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart. With your left foot, step sideways and drop your hips so you’re squatting sideways. Push up and return your foot to the centre. Alternate left and right, aim for 5-10 reps on each leg. Keep your posture in mind – it’s easy to start leaning forward but avoid it to keep the focus on your quads.
Exercise ball leg curl
This exercise ball leg curl is another simple way to help you look after your knees for basketball by working to stabilise your core muscles.
This exercise will also help to develop the muscles around your hamstrings and knees. Lay on the ground and rest your heels on the exercise ball. Slowly bend your knees to bring the ball closer to you, until your feet are flat on the ball. Then, roll it back out to the start position. Repeat 10-15 times to really feel it.
If you can work these three exercises into your training routine a couple of times a week, you should notice an increase in strength and stabilisation around the knee. This should help protect the joint and help to increase the amount of time you can spend on the court without injury.
About Enertor Advanced Technology Insoles – Enertor insoles are designed to prevent a number of common running injuries and provide more comfort. Designed by leading podiatrists to reduce your risk of injury, the unique design features support your foot throughout training. Enertor insoles are enhanced by D3O impact protection technology, which means they can provide more shock absorption than any other insole. Our expertise, combined with the patented D3O shock absorption technology, enables Enertor to deliver the most advanced injury prevention insoles on the market today.
Enertor insoles are available to buy from our online shop.
Whilst Enertor has over 18 years Orthotics experience, our blog content is provided for informational purposes only and it is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical advice. Enertor advises anyone with an injury to seek their own medical advice – and do not make any health or medical related decisions based solely on information found on this site.
The post How to look after your knees in basketball appeared first on Enertor.
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 my knees hurt after running and what to do about it
Beginner runners often complain that their knee joints hurt after training. Moreover, pain occurs immediately after a run and even after 1-2 weeks. As a result, running sessions are postponed or canceled altogether. We will tell you why the knees hurt, how to prevent the problem and how to treat the joints.
Knees hurt after running: causes
The knee is a large joint in the human body that can withstand a colossal load. Therefore, chronic diseases, age-related changes, and injuries of the knee joint become a frequent occurrence. The most common causes of knee pain include:
- Violation of running technique. A gross mistake in the training process is a “lunge” on an exposed straight leg with a strong emphasis on the heel. Then the weight of the body falls on the foot of a straight leg, the load of the musculoskeletal system is distributed unevenly.
- Unpreparedness of muscles for exercise. They ran once and abandoned for an indefinite time, warmed up a little before the start, dramatically increased the distance traveled - all this leads to discomfort in the knee area. Especially if running is not controlled by the coach, and the runner is inexperienced and has poor physical fitness.
- Incorrect selection of sports shoes. Many people run in any comfortable shoes, without thinking that for training they need sports sneakers, selected taking into account the characteristics of the foot. Too tight or, conversely, loose shoes are very dangerous and lead to knee injury.
- Meniscus injury. The meniscus is a rounded cartilage that is located around the perimeter of the joint and plays the role of a shock absorber. It has a large margin of safety, but due to intense load or sudden movement, a part of the meniscus sometimes breaks. The main symptoms: severe pain, inability to bend or straighten the leg, severe swelling, impaired mobility. Trauma often accompanies football players and professional athletes. Requires timely diagnosis (ultrasound, X-ray, MRI), and then long-term treatment under the supervision of a traumatologist.
- Dislocation of the patella. As a result of the injury, the kneecap is displaced. The runner feels a sharp pain, is not able to lean on the injured leg. Visually, the knee swells up. Only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis by palpation or by x-ray. A plaster splint is applied to the affected knee, and the patient is prescribed rest and a decrease in motor activity. There is nothing dangerous in a single dislocation. But if the patella is damaged regularly, over time, stretching and wear of the ligaments occurs, the pain becomes chronic.
- Sprain. It is the result of an old injury, a sharp blow or a fall while running. The knee swells, it hurts to touch it. There are mild, moderate and severe ligament injuries. With the first two, it is enough to wear a plaster splint, bandage or fixation with tight bandages. In severe cases, surgery is indicated to restore the ligaments of the joint.
- Patellar tendonitis. Inflammatory process in the tendon. It can be recognized by aching pain under the kneecap. Especially sharply the pain manifests itself when descending from the mountain or on the stairs. Often it does not manifest itself immediately, but after a few hours or a day after a run. Tendinitis threatens those who do not warm up enough before training, unevenly distribute the load on the knee joint, and start intensive training after a long break.
- Deformity of the knee joint. “Age-related” diseases lead to it: arthrosis, arthritis, rheumatism. Articular cartilage wears out, as a result of which it loses its function as a shock absorber-stabilizer. Alarming symptoms: redness and swelling of the knee, crunching joints, feeling of numbness. With each running workout, the pain syndrome only intensifies, so it is impossible to let the deformation that has begun take its course. At an early stage, the disease is successfully treated under the supervision of experienced rheumatologists.
- Vascular diseases. When normal blood flow is disturbed, dull, aching pain appears in the knee area. It is not constant, but it manifests itself brighter with each running workout, if you do not start treatment. Vascular diseases are common: synovitis (fluid accumulation in the joint) and bursitis (inflammation of the articular bag).
Unpleasant sensations in the knees may be the result of one or a combination of factors. In order for beginners to understand the running technique in more detail, we have written a new article - "How to start running".
What to do if your knees start to hurt
We do not recommend self-medication, it is better to seek medical help as soon as possible. If an injury occurs and the pain persists, the following measures can be taken before seeing a doctor:
- stop exercising and rest the injured knee;
- apply a cold compress or ice;
- Raise the leg if swelling of the knee occurs;
- if there are no contraindications, paracetamol or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug is allowed;
- Apply a tight fixation bandage if possible.
When the pain is chronic, the doctor diagnoses and then prescribes a comprehensive treatment. It includes rehabilitation exercises for the joints, warm compresses, wearing a bandage, taking medications, physical therapy. A rheumatologist or traumatologist will tell you how to smear a sore knee. These can be warming gels, ointments with analgesics, etc.
Preventive measures
It is easier to prevent a problem than to treat its consequences later. To avoid injury and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, follow these simple rules:
- Increase your running volume gradually, no more than 10% each week compared to the previous one. Make a detailed lesson plan.
- Before you start exercising, spend 5-10 minutes warming up to warm up your muscles.
- Watch your running technique and correct foot placement.
- Run on level ground, avoid rough terrain with obstacles. Ideally, if the park or square has a special path with a soft rubber coating.
- Buy sports shoes with a hard heel, flexible toe, projection. Shoes should fix the foot, just do not overdo it with tight lacing.
- Use knee pads to avoid damaging the patella. This is especially important if there has been trauma in the past.
- Cool down after finishing your run. These are light physical exercises that smoothly transfer the body to a state of rest.
Treat your knees with care, do not immediately take on heavy loads, then training will bring benefits and positive emotions.
And in our catalog you can find various running shoes. As an example, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the Asics GT 2000 9 G-TX sneakers.
causes and best ways to get rid of pain
Strength training, morning jogging, cycling, football, basketball are good for health, help to strengthen the muscle corset, and 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:0086
- 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 a 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. If the results of instrumental studies did not reveal degenerative tissue degeneration, then wearing soft bandages and a good warm-up before training will help eliminate discomfort in the knees. And if a developing articular pathology is detected, long-term therapy with chondroprotectors, analgesics, and NSAIDs is required.