Table of contents:
- Various sports cause knee pain
- Why are these four sports prone to causing knee pain?
- Symptoms of knee pain
Exercise in general has many benefits for your health. But on the other hand, exercising regularly can pose a risk of injury if not careful. One of the most common sports injuries is knee pain. There are several exercises that may cause knee pain, and are at risk for osteoarthitis. Anything?
Various sports cause knee pain
In a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training, researchers found that soccer players, marathon runners, weight lifters, and wrestlers had a greater risk of developing knee joint pain than other sports athletes or who did not exercise at all. The findings were reported after examining data on cases of painful knee arthritis in 3,800 professional athletes.
Basically, athletes in these four fields have a 3 to 7 times greater risk of knee osteoarthritis than people who play basketball, boxing, shooting, or athletics. Of the four sports, weight lifters have the greatest risk, followed by footballers.
Why are these four sports prone to causing knee pain?
The sports that have the greatest risk of knee injury are those that put the most stress on the joints of the feet. Lifting weights and soccer have the greatest risk as sports that cause knee pain because these two types of sports put the greatest pressure on the knee joint which can lead to injury. Weightlifters continue to burden their joints with large, repetitive weights. Similar to footballers, marathon runners continue to use their joints for miles more than ordinary runners.
Even so, not all running sports cause knee joint pain. If you practice short distances it can actually benefit from getting strong bones and healthy joints. Likewise with weight lifters, training with appropriate weights will get the desired health benefits.
This means that if you experience pain in the knee, you don't need to stop your favorite sport, just make sure to warm up beforehand, and don't push yourself too hard. Proper stretching can also prevent joint pain in addition to increasing the intensity of exercise gradually, not directly strenuous.
Symptoms of knee pain
Symptoms and severity of exercise-induced knee pain can vary, depending on the intensity and cause. The knee joint may only have inflammation, swelling and pain which can be relieved immediately with a cold compress. A more severe exercise intensity may cause a tearing of the meniscus.
But usually there are common signs and symptoms that appear if you experience knee pain, namely:
- Muscles feel stiff and have limited range to move
- swelling around the area with pain
- Difficulty walking due to knee instability
- Difficulty walking up and down stairs due to ligament damage
- Cannot bend knees
- It hurts to the touch
- Redness
- Inability to fully straighten the knee