Knee injuries in athletes are fairly common, as they are prone to working out and engaging in sudden knee movements. Some common causes of knee injuries are prolonged and extensive use, jokes, sudden stops, lack of muscle strength, low hemoglobin in the blood, age, and other medical conditions.
Most amateur athletes suffer injuries due to incorrect body posters and lack of stamina. To have a good and consistent routine, keep your overall body health in check. In other words, maintaining a proper diet and routine can help improve muscle strength. It further reduces the number of knee injuries.
That said, it’s essential to prevent these injuries and adopt effective treatment strategies, as discussed below.
Prevention of Knee Injury
Knee injuries often put athletes on prolonged bed rest that can sabotage their fitness levels. They are often required to take proper medication and ice packs, which affect the sports in the long run.
Thus, when taking care of your health is possible, taking the proper precautions is ideal. As the saying goes, ‘ prevention is better than cure,’ here are some ways to prevent knee injuries –
- Taking a Balanced Diet
Diet doesn’t necessarily mean a meal meant to reduce weight. On the contrary, a balanced diet is a proper meal with all the nutrients the body requires for proper functioning.
Healthy fats, protein, carbohydrates, iron, calcium, and vitamins are necessary to strengthen the muscles. Iron is greatly responsible for carrying oxygen along with haemoglobin to the muscles. In case of deficiency, food athletes must also consider taking the supplement to ensure the proper level of nutrients within the body.
- Maintaining Exercise Routine
Exercise in the long term helps build the stamina of the muscles. For sports athletes, it is necessary to have strong muscles. One of the major reasons for knee injuries in sports athletes is lactic acid formation by anaerobic respiration.
During high muscle movement, the muscles require a larger amount of energy. The body automatically regulates the respiration and blood circulation rate to achieve this energy. Commonly people notice this as a rise in the pulse.
However, to achieve this perfectly, you should train your body. It is where doing regular workouts can help. If the body cannot provide the required energy, anaerobic respiration of the muscle cells takes place, which causes a sharp shooting pain in the knee.
- Practicing the Correct body Postures
While doing heavy sports, it is necessary to ensure the correct body posture. It is mainly because the body weight is transferred to the knees in rigorous activities such as jumping, lunging, and sudden movements.
A major weight shift can happen suddenly if the correct body poster is not changed. The muscles are not toned and might have a tear or sprain to this particular activity.
Thus, sportspersons must learn the correct body poster before entering the game. It is also advised to practice before leading the actual activity.
Treatment Strategies for Knee Injuries
When it comes to treatment planning for any disease, such as knee injuries, a doctor first analysis the current situation, they must consider various parameters such as the intensity of pain, the type of injury, the age of the patient, any existing medical conditions that have blood pressure, diabetes, etc. and the financial condition of the patient.
It is also important to ensure that the patient is Co-operative and understands the treatment protocol. Based on the increasing intensity of knee injuries, here are the stepwise treatment protocol that doctors must take-
- Physical Therapy and Radiation
Physical therapy and radiation can help treat minor injuries where the primary cause is spasms and muscle tension. The patient is often recommended to a physiotherapist, who is a trained doctor for physical therapy and radiation.
A physiotherapist will also instruct the patient and teach them about the correct body postures they must maintain to reduce the effects of a knee injury.
- Rest and Ice Pack
In case of minor injuries, the patient is advised to rest properly and restrict major knee moments. The patient is asked to apply an ice pack to the affected area. The ice pack can be applied 3 to 4 times and must be kept at least for 15 minutes. It helps in the faster reduction of inflammation.
- Medication and Topical Ointment
Medications are recommended in cases of infection and severe pain. In most cases of infection, there would be either pus or a swollen area that is red or slightly warm. Infections are treated with the help of antibiotics such as amoxicillin and penicillin.
In severe pain or mild fever, analgesics such as ibuprofen are recommended. Adrenaline or a local anaesthetic agent is also recommended as an alternative to topical gels to reduce severe pain.
- Steroidal Injections
Steroidal injections are common sports injuries treatment modalities that help provide immediate pain relief. These injections mainly contain a hypertonic solution of dextrose, which speeds up the healing process.
- Surgery
Surgical intervention is the last course of treatment recommended only in difficult situations. Some common surgical treatments include the replacement of kneecaps and the reduction of fractures. The surgical approach is often avoided and prevented for as long as possible due to its several associated complications.
Summing up!
Preventing knee injuries during intense physical activity requires athletes to prioritize maintaining proper body posture and taking extensive precautionary measures. It includes maintaining a healthy diet and consistent workout regimen to promote strong and healthy knee muscles.
In the event of a knee injury, common treatment options include physical therapy, rest, ice therapy, medication, steroidal injections, and surgery. Athletes need to prioritize injury prevention and properly care for their knee joints to avoid the need for these treatments.