Young athletes are always enthusiastic and energetic. Hence,
they ignore the physical strengths and overdo activities, which results in
injuries.
A torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL Reconstruction Surgery) is an example which
is not only painful but can bring an early end to the career in sports.
However, there is no need to get disheartened. Not every
knee injury is that severe. Some problems cause significant knee pain but are
easy to treat, one example is Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome.
A physically adolescent person who is very active in sports
is under a big risk of developing Sinding-Larsen Syndrome according to
orthopedic specialists.
Especially during the growing age, the bones grow faster in
a child than the surrounding tendons. It results in traction and tightness in
the tissues, and it converts into inflammation eventually.
If the young athletes continue doing extensive physical
activities such as sprinting, squatting, and jumping, then it puts great stress
on the front part of the knee and the base of the kneecap.
You develop symptoms slowly
The main problem with a knee pain amongst the young athletes
is that it grows very slowly. It is not like a sudden eruption of pain on one
beautiful morning.
There is no pop or a feeling of something going out of
position. Instead, it is a gradual increase of symptoms starting with an ache
in the knee while performing some offending activity.
Because the pain subsides when kids rest, there is a
tendency of pushing through the pain. As a result, the knee sores when the leg
is at rest.
In the Sinding-Larson problem, the swelling or loss of
motion is not severe. Still, doctors recommend that one should see some
specialist when the pain doesn’t improve within a couple of days.
The visit can be preponed if the swelling is dominant and
there is a difficulty in moving the leg entirely. It’s likely a severe injury.
It is important to ease the pain
Knee pain amongst young athletes is more troublesome because
they have a less pain-bearing capacity than adults.
Hence, doctors follow the following steps to release the
pain.
Knee pain amongst young athletes is more troublesome because
they have a less pain-bearing capacity than adults.
Hence, doctors follow the following steps to release the
pain.
· They subscribe pain-releasing and
anti-inflammatory medicines for a week or two to reduce swelling. More
prolonged consumption is avoided as these medicines have the risk of
gastrointestinal issues like acid reflux or ulcer.
·
Physical
therapy helps in stretching the muscles and tendons surrounding the knee.
· Icing the
knee by small paper cups filled with ice water is recommended by orthopedic
doctors. Rubbing the ice in a circular motion also helps. Gradually the
inflammation and pain go away.
Returning to sports after the treatment
Once the knee pain subsides, doctors allow young athletes to
start sports activities again. Of course, they have to slow down the activities
until the inflammation disappears. Activity modification is also done in a few
cases.
It is a fact that the treatment varies from person to
person. Predominantly, it will depend on the sport the athlete indulged into.
The critical point is, one must avoid activities that caused
the problem initially. Thus, the chances of problem reoccurring will be
minimized. In the first week, the athlete should work at 25 percent intensity.
Gradually, it should be increased.
It will take eight to ten weeks to return to full activity
level safely. The fundamental thing is that a young athlete shouldn’t stay
inactive just because there is a pain in the knees.
After getting relieved from the pain, one should practice
hard to gain maximum efficiency.
Idiopathic anterior knee pain is also common
It is called patella-femoral pain syndrome. Typically, it is
a vague, non-specific, activity-related pain amongst adolescent athletes.
It is the most common cause of pain evaluated by sports
physicians, knee replacement surgeon, and primary care physicians.
The reasons are primarily biomechanical and anatomical.
Strenuous physical activities overload the patellofemoral mechanism.
These are some common causes of knee pain amongst young
athletes. Doctors treat the problem on a symptomatic basis and relieve from
intense pain.
Dr Shailendra Patil
knee replacement surgeon in Thane, Mulund, Navi Mumbai
Orthopedic, Joint Replacement & Arthroscopic Surgeon.
8369026337,02225690799
