Get Off the Bench with Your Knee Injury and Learn How to Get Back in The Game with These Treatments
Every athlete will suffer from a sports injury. Of course, the injury will depend on the sport you play and so will the severity of the injury. However, knee injuries are extremely common for athletes. Sports medicine doctors see knee injuries in all sports like football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis and much more. A knee injury is painful, but it does not have to be a season-ending injury. Get off the bench with your knee injury and learn how you can get back in the game. Follow these treatments for your type of knee injury and any of your symptoms.
How to Return from a Knee Sprain
A knee sprain occurs when the ligaments in your knee overstretch. The human body is only meant to bend to a certain degree and everyone has their own level of flexibility. So, if the overextends itself, athletes will experience pain and discomfort from a knee sprain. The best way to return from a knee sprain is by:
- Taking medicine to reduce swelling and pain, like ibuprofen
- Wearing a knee brace until the knee fully heals
- Rebuilding strength in your knee with physical therapy
How to Return from a Knee Contusion
In short, a knee contusion is a bruise to the knee bone. There is usually swelling and a discoloration around the knee. Many football players and soccer players suffer from knee contusions due to contact with other players on the field. For serious knee contusions, call a sports medicine specialist. In most cases, you can treat your knee contusion at home with:
- Rest – Give your knee time to heal
- Ice – Reduce pain and swelling with ice
- Compression – Stop internal bleeding
- Elevation – Keep weight off your knee
How to Return from a Knee Fracture
Athletes suffer from knee fractures when a knee bone breaks. There are several bones that make up the knee. If any of these bones break or chip, you will feel major knee pain. There are different kinds of knee fractures and this knee injury is also seen outside of sports. Knee fractures need immediate medical attention so visit a sports medicine doctor who will treat your knee. Sports medicine specialists treat knee fractures by:
- Diagnosing where the bone break is
- Placing the knee in a wrap or cast
- Prescribing an anti-inflammatory medicine
- Organizing a physical therapy routine
Get Back in The Game with These Treatments
Above all, knee sprains, knee contusions and knee fractures are some of the most common knee injuries in sports. Athletes handle their injuries in different ways, but you can easily get back in the game after your knee injury. NASA Bone & Joint Specialists is a sports medicine clinic in Southeast Houston, Texas that treats athletes of all ages. If you want to return to your sport as soon as possible, contact our sports medicine specialists. Dr. Monmouth and Dr. O’Neill are experts in sports medicine for Houston, Texas.