Avoiding Knee Injuries You or someone you know has probably sustained an injury to the knee in the recent past. Knee injuries are extremely common in many sports. Our knees receive a lot of regular wear and tear as we walk, run, and go about our daily activities. However, if you are too hard on your knees, you could sustain a knee injury, which can be detrimental to your health.
ACL and MCL Injuries There are several things you can do in order to prevent knee injuries. If you play sports often, it’s important to avoid any kind of ACL or MCL injury. ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament, and MCL stands for medial cruciate ligament. If you injure either of these ligaments, it is very painful and can limit the movement of your leg and severely restrict your ability to play sports in the future. 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. There isn’t much you can specifically do to avoid hits to your knees in these sports, so it’s important that you’re aware of the risk you’re taking by playing these sports. Another important thing you can do to avoid knee injury is to strengthen your knees with healthy exercise. There are many exercises you can that are designed specifically for strengthening and empowering the knees. 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. Stretching the ligaments in your knees increases flexibility and decreases your chances of tearing a ligament. Be aware that high impact activities, like running, will increase the pressure on your knees while exercising.
Simple Things You Can Do to Avoid Injuries If you believe you’re at risk for knee injury, you are probably not going to want to do copious amounts of running as part of your routine exercise plan. You can also care for your knees in normal, daily activities.
One way to do this is to buy shoes that promote knee health and alignment. If your shoes are correctly fitted, they should let your foot be balanced and prevent them from rolling too much inward or outward while you’re walking. 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. It doesn’t matter what type of exercise you choose, but keeping fit and healthy will improve your overall health, and also help you knees as well. If you have experienced trauma to the knee and are looking for a knee replacement surgeon, Hofmann Arthritis Institute in Salt Lake City has what you need. It can be difficult to find a knee replacement surgeon that fits your needs, but Hofmann Arthritis Institute will do everything they can to ensure that your surgery goes smoothly.