Tips for Managing Sports-Related Knee Pain

Whether you’re an athlete or not, you could face knee pain, but athletes are particularly susceptible. Sports-related knee pain can pop up anytime, making playing on the field or court nearly impossible.

At Integrated Body and Medicine, we specialize in holistic and nonsurgical approaches to pain and injury. Our practice aims to help you minimize knee pain and injuries while focusing on whole-body strength and wellness.

You don't have to sit back and take knee pain due to a sports injury or wear-and-tear. We can help, starting with these tips help you reduce knee pain so you can be the best athlete possible.

What is sports-related knee pain?

Playing sports like basketball, soccer, and baseball helps you stay in shape and build friendships, but if you're not careful, injuries and pain can also pop up without warning.

Your knees help distribute weight throughout your lower body and support the rest of your body as you walk, run, and jump. That makes them prone to injury. 

Active people can suffer any of the following problems in the knee joint:

• Dislocations
• Fractures
• ACL injuries
• Collateral ligament injuries
• Meniscus tears
• Tendon injuries

Knee injuries vary from mild to severe, and treatment ranges from at-home care to surgery.

The type of injury determines what kind of treatment you need to manage pain and restore function in your knee joint. 

How to manage knee pain

As we mentioned above, playing sports significantly increases your risk of knee pain and injuries, but adequately taking care of your body reduces the risk of serious problems. To that end, we put together some of our top tips for managing your knee pain.

Anti-inflammatory medications

Whether knee pain is from mild inflammation or a severe injury, anti-inflammatory medications are the key to relief.

We offer over-the-counter and prescription anti-inflammatory medications that work to reduce inflammation and relieve mild to moderate knee pain.

R.I.C.E.

Rest, ice, compression, and elevation help to relieve knee pain. When you're experiencing discomfort, the first step is to rest the joint and allow your body to heal.

Ice and compression help with swelling related to injury by reducing fluid buildup in the joint. Elevating your leg also reduces pain and swelling and, when paired with the other measures, significantly relieves sports-related knee pain.

Physical medicine and rehab

If you still have pain in your knee after trying medications and RICE, we may recommend physical medicine and rehabilitation, a branch of noninvasive, orthopedic health care designed to reduce pain, boost strength, and improve mobility.

We evaluate knee pain and provide you with a customized care plan to manage pain and improve durability and mobility in the knee joint.

Immobilization

Immobilizing the knee after an injury may relieve your pain and reduce further complications. A brace or compression wrap provides stability in the joint and prevents the excess swelling that contributes to pain.

Preventing knee pain

Ideally, we would like to prevent knee pain in the first place. We can help you avoid knee injuries with a plan to:

• Strengthen your leg muscles
• Incorporate stretching
• Work on flexibility
• Get plenty of rest

By following such a plan, you can heal faster if you do suffer an injury or wear-and-tear damage. 

Listen to your body to prevent injuries. If you feel pain during practice or a game, don't try to keep playing. Instead, take a break and see a specialist to prevent long-term immobility.

For help dealing with sports-related knee pain, call our office in the greater Highland and Hammond, Indiana, area, or request a consultation online.