Sports massage is an essential tool that many athletes use to help their training. From preventative massage to help ease muscles and joints to massage for injury and rehabilitation.
A common area for many sports people to experience discomfort is knee pain. The knee is a hinge joint and acts for both mobility and as a shock absorber.
The knee, unlike a ball and socket joint relies on strong ligaments and surrounding muscles for its stability. It has shock absorbing discs deep inside the joint called the meniscus (often called cartilage outside the medical world) The outside of the bone surfaces are covered in hyaline cartilage to help the surfaces glide smoothly.
Knee pain can occur for a variety of reasons due to the many structures. Ligament strains and ruptures are common in sports injuries. The twisting and turning and in some contact sports can cause such injuries. The knee is a weight bearing joint and as such the smooth cartilage surfaces can become roughened and cause pain. The meniscus can tear causing locking and giving way. A range of arthritis can affect the knee including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Gout and other infections can also cause pain and discomfort. Knee pain can also refer from neurological structures in the back. It is therefore important not to self diagnose but rather get an experts opinion as soon as you can.
Having said all the above the knee joint is a pretty stable joint when treated well. On occasions it may cause knee pain and that is when we would advise you get expert opinion to help you resolve your injury. Due to the complicated anatomy and multiple structures it needs careful and focused examination. A history of how the injury occurred, age and signs and symptoms need to be assessed.
Many knee injuries respond well to manual therapy and that is always the first line of treatment. After examination using special testing for the knee the structures injured can be decided. If the tests are inconclusive or show specific outcomes, then the clients would be referred by one of our team to their GP for further imaging.
Most knee injuries respond well to manual treatment and our advice is don’t leave pain too long before getting checked out. At Fine Fettle we have a team of experts all able to assist you and give you our expert advice and treatments. Don’t suffer from knee pain instead get some professional advice and support.
To read more about our sports massage services click here
