It's not just the impact of playing ball that hurts your knees! Can I strength training after a knee injury? Can PRP help speed up return to exercise?
Not only does it hurt your knees when you hit the ball, but does it hurt your knees? Doctor reveals the cause of repeated knee injuries
The knee joint is composed of the femur of the thigh, the tibia and fibula of the calf, and the patella in front of the heel. It not only bears the weight-bearing function, but is also one of the joints with the highest frequency of activity during human exercise. Wu Yicheng, an attending physician at the Department of Sports Medicine at Lianxin International Hospital, pointed out that the most common knee sports injuries among Taiwanese are muscle strains and contusions caused by strong pulling and collision during exercise. The symptoms are mostly tissue swelling and pain. Non-collision sports such as jogging or cycling and other individual sports can accumulate sports injuries due to repeated movements, which may cause patellar tendinitis, chronic inflammation of the ligament, etc.
Dr. Wu Yicheng said that risk factors will affect the occurrence of sports injuries. Common factors for knee injuries include incorrect posture, poor environment, and re-occurrence of sports injuries in areas that have been injured in the past. Recently, there was a sports coach who had a cruciate ligament tear and underwent surgery five or six years ago. Recently, the entire knee was swollen due to a sports strain. After emergency treatment to remove the accumulated fluid, he underwent MRI and later underwent PRP. Injection therapy helps stimulate tissue repair and also increases knee stability through strength training.
Dr. Wu Yicheng said that in the acute phase of more serious sports injuries, such as internal and external collateral ligament or cruciate ligament tears, meniscus rupture, it is recommended to use knee braces or crutches and other assistive devices for a short period of time, especially when walking in longer distances or when the knee is used more intensively. During high activity. After that, the use time will be reduced depending on the recovery situation. Interventional treatment and training from the sports medicine department can promote repair and speed up the time to return to the sports field.
How long should I rest for a knee injury? Can I still strength train after an injury?
“Muscle strength will affect the stability of the knee, and even affect the risk of reinjury!” Dr. Wu Yicheng said that a simple knee ligament strain can recover to a certain extent in about 2-3 weeks without obvious tearing, and you can consider starting over. sports. However, for severe anterior or posterior cruciate ligament tears or meniscal ruptures, it may take more than 3-6 months to return to normal after treatment, rehabilitation and training.
Dr. Wu Yicheng pointed out that during rehabilitation after a knee injury, based on the structure and extent of the injury, you will be reminded what actions to avoid in the short term because they may increase the risk of injury. For example, when the meniscus is injured, it will be recommended to reduce “squat to the bottom” or rotate one knee to avoid shear forces that may cause further injury. If you want to strength training after a knee injury, it is recommended to lower the strength training target at the beginning, using 50% of the intensity before the injury as the benchmark. Pay attention to pain, range of motion and knee stability during training, and then gradually increase the training intensity.
Lack of exercise may increase knee degeneration! Young adults should maintain exercise habits
The trend of sports and fitness among young and middle-aged people is gradually increasing, and how to protect the health of knees has become increasingly important. Dr. Wu Yicheng suggested that young adults should maintain their existing exercise habits and take protective measures in addition to doing their best when playing sports with a high risk of injury, such as basketball and football. When performing strength training, the intensity of the schedule should be gradual, starting with light weights and increasing training time and intensity to reduce the risk of injury.
“A large retrospective study pointed out that long-term lack of exercise will increase the rate of knee degeneration, and people who exercise regularly are less likely to develop degenerative arthritis and sarcopenia in the future!”
Dr. Wu Yicheng reminds that whether it is strength training or aerobic exercise, the knee joint is used very frequently. Regular exercise strengthens the muscle strength of the muscles around the knee, which can increase knee stability and reduce the risk of injury. When evaluating the appropriate type and intensity of exercise, Below, it is recommended to exercise more to strengthen knee health.
As for those who are heavier, they can choose sports such as cycling, swimming, and sliding machines. Together with diet control, they can return their weight to normal standards and increase the types of exercises they can perform, which can also help improve knee health.
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