BODY | MIND | SPIRIT | LIFE
Many athletes have previous ligament injuries, not bad enough for surgery, but enough to cause pain and stability concerns. Since ligament tissue does not recover from deformation, any previous sprain can leave an athlete’s ligaments a bit looser than before. In these cases, a simple knee brace might make all the difference.
Knee brace
Watch the NBA or NFL and you will see loads of braces: Some athletes have even had complete tears repaired, and thus a brace can prolong a playing career.
One of the most important things you can do to strengthen and stabilize the knee is to condition the proprioceptive system. One-legged balance is a great place to start, but you might want to learn the ‘short foot‘ beforehand.
Proprioception is a major part of our balance mechanism, and so conditioning it will improve your ability to cut, turn, jump and land without one part of your body going one way, while another goes the other way. Proprioceptive training is good prevention, period (and good rehab too!).
When suffering a knee injury you want to ice the knee as soon as possible. Place an ice bag on the area of pain (use a paper towel between your skin and the ice) for fifteen minutes. Do this one to several times per day and visit a sports doctor ASAP
Ice knee pain
Ice breaks inflammation; in some cases it may be enough to remove pain completely, even if only for a few hours. You may still need to be evaluated by a sports chiropractor, however. If you are an athlete, the next step is for you:
