What to do if your knee is injured during sports

It is inevitable to injure the knees in daily life or during regular exercise. Inadequate exercise volume and movement techniques will injure the knees. If knee pain is not taken care of, it will bring many sequelae in the future. For example, knee pain will easily occur when the weather changes or it rains. Severe cases will affect walking. So what should you do if your knees are injured through sports? How to care for and prevent it? I believe everyone is curious. Let’s learn what to do if your knee is injured in sports.

Rest - stop any activity that causes pain, especially running, long jumps, and climbing stairs

Ice – Place a plastic bag filled with crushed ice on your knee for 15 minutes two or three times a day

Strength training - Lack of thigh or hip strength is the main cause of anterior knee pain and iliotibial band syndrome

Stretching exercises - Tight thigh, buttocks and calf muscles may be the cause of your knee strain injury

How to stretch: Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds without moving, unless otherwise instructed.

Stretching frequency: 2-3 sets per day, 6-7 days per week

Do not exercise for more than 1 hour at the beginning, and slowly increase your time and intensity each week. Physical exercise such as running, cycling, swimming and strength training should start with short-term and low-intensity exercises. The weekly increase in time and intensity should not exceed 10%.

How to prevent:

1. Avoid or reduce the following movements and strengthen the muscles around the knee joint;

2. Sudden stop or turn during sports - standing firmly on the ground, the legs turn in other directions, such as football or basketball players stopping suddenly and changing direction quickly;

3. Straight-knee landing - landing with the knees straight, such as a skier landing after a jump or a gymnast landing on a vault;

4. Lateral landing with the knee hyperextended - the leg stops suddenly with hyperextension, such as when a baseball player slides sideways to get on base and the knee joint is subjected to additional forces;

5. Rotation and sudden deceleration - Sudden deceleration and twisting of the foot can cause excessive knee rotation, such as a sudden turn in a football or rugby player.

6. Correct landing technique is important to prevent knee injuries. It is recommended that when landing during exercise, you should land on the sole of your foot first, bend your knees, and lean your torso slightly forward. Avoid sideways or forward and backward movement of the knee as much as possible. Remember not to twist your knees inward when landing and to minimize the impact.

The above is about what to do if you injure your knee during sports. After a knee injury, you must pay attention to rest in time and avoid doing heavy physical work. You can walk slowly when appropriate, pay attention to nutritional supplements, take calcium supplements appropriately, pay attention to your running posture when running, get enough sleep in daily life, develop good living habits, and maintain a good mood. I wish you good health.