Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Avoiding Knee Injuries

By Hedrick Lepsch


Take care of your knees. Anyone directly involved with consistent exercise doesn't need to be told this twice. Knee replacements are expensive and painful. Knee related injuries are no walk in the park either. Injuries like a torn ACL, bursitis, etc. cause constant pain when sitting or standing and can slow you down. Training for a race becomes impossible, as does participating in most forms of physical activity.

Everyone's had a sprain of some sort if they were ever a kid. It's that feeling you get when you land on your foot the wrong way, step in a pothole when running, or just put your weight on the side of your foot.

The key to avoiding ACL and MCL injuries is to just be kind to your knees. Try not to twist your knees abruptly when running, and squat when landing from a jump to avoid extra weight on your knees.

If you play more intense sports, like football or rugby, be aware that your knees are susceptible to hits or blows from the opposing team's members.

Eat your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, means, carbs, etc. Your body was built to run off of these things and can maintain a healthy weight when you give it the right nutrients. Often times, it's simply a diet imbalance that has brought the weight up. Rebalance it and properly exercise to get those extra pounds off.

The joint still works though and stays in place. Mobility isn't restricted and people can take care of it themselves. Because of the low intensity of the sprain, treatment is usually limited. Periodically ice the area for 24-48 hours and slowly return to normal activity over a 1 to 3 week span.

Exercises like climbing stairs or walking uphill greatly strengthen your knees because they help to stabilize it and take pressure off of the joint. Stretching is absolutely crucial in order to avoid injuries to your knees.

These can take a bit longer to recover at home and you should consider going to see the doctor to get it checked out. They can take anywhere between 6-8 weeks to get better.

Slowly build up weights and resistance over time-i.e. not in the same sitting. For example, you may have once been able to run 7 miles in a morning without breaking a sweat, but if you haven't run in six months, you are not ready to do it again. You need to slow yourself down and start with a simple half mile or mile run.

If that goes well, then the next running day, you can increase your mileage by half a mile. Every week, only increase your longest run by 10% to avoid injuries. This same principle applies for lifting weights. Just because you could once, doesn't mean you're ready to do it again now.

Hyperextension of the knee can also be very dangerous. When standing, make sure to avoid locking your knees. Keeping your knees slightly bent at all times will decrease the likelihood of hyperextension of the knees. Another thing that is crucial for knee health is to exercise regularly.

You can also feel numbness or tingling. These injuries need to be checked out by a doctor. In some cases, they'll require surgery to get fixed. They are intense and take a long time to heal. Having the skills to identify the degree of a sprain may help you to seek the best treatment immediately. The sooner the injury is treated, the faster it will heal and the sooner you can return to normal life.

The Hofmann Institute is an Orthopedic Clinic in Salt Lake City. Their doctors have worked with similar injuries throughout their career. This Orthopedic Clinic in Salt Lake strives daily to help their patients return to complete normalcy as quickly as possible. Sprains are a painful injury, but they get fixed every day.




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