Knee pain, stretches, bracing?

[Jarick 5]

I did a search for "+knee +stretch" and nothing useful came up.

I went into the boards full speed knee first last week. Hurt like hell coming off but after 15 minutes of stretching I got back on the ice. Limped and was in pain when I put pressure on it, iced it that night, next day the pain was 95% gone.

I've been icing it occasionally and the pain is mostly gone unless I put pressure on it. Are there any stretches or exercises I should do to get it back to 100%? Both my knees have had a bit of pain since starting playing last year, so I figure I should focus on stretching those knees before playing.

Lastly, would a wrap or support be a good idea? Something like this?

[chippa13 1844]

It depends on what you did to it and when you get the pain. It could be just a bruise or it could be something more serious. Knees aren't something a skater should mess around with. If you're experiencing pain then you should get it looked at.

[chk hrd 164]

take some time off it to give it a rest. keep icing it. If it still hurts get it looked at.

[icedevil82 0]

Agree with the above two. I'd recommend seeing an orthopedist and getting a recommendation for some physical therapy...if the pain continues. If there's nothing significantly wrong with your knee structurally, then exercises and increased leg strength can often lessen prolonged knee pain.

[Jarick 5]

It's a very faint pain, not there when I'm walking or playing. I'll see a doctor if it's still there next week. Movement isn't limited at all.

Does anyone have any good stretches for the knees?

[BGM 0]

It's a very faint pain, not there when I'm walking or playing. I'll see a doctor if it's still there next week. Movement isn't limited at all.

Does anyone have any good stretches for the knees?

I agree with above that you should just rest them--it doesn't sound that bad. No, there are no stretches just for knees--you have to stretch the muscle groups around the knee. If you want to strengthen like the VMO muscle single leg lifts when you are on the ground are good and for stretching just normal stuff like holding your foot behind you butt when you are standing will help.

[DamnLocust 0]

I had a similar incident in January: went knee-first into the boards after missing an edge tracking down a rebound full speed after a 2 on 1. I was able to finish out the game, and I went out after the game, but by the time I got home I could barely walk on it. I was stuck at home in a knee immobilizer for almost 2 weeks, and didn't play for nearly a month. When I went back on the ice, I made sure to ice it down after every session for about a month and a half.

Resting it would probably be the best option, but if you're anything like me, you're stubborn and you don't want to be away from the ice for very long.

If you don't take time off, be sure to ice it down after every game, even if it's not nagging you right after the game. Try not to play on multiple nights in a row. Roller is also a bit harder on the knees, so you'll want to stay away from that. You should regain strength in it naturally within a month or two. I don't even wear a brace at this point and it's probably stronger than it was before.

[Jarick 5]

Will do. Got one of those cheap nylon compression supports, feels pretty good. Going to do quite a bit of stretching before and after the game.

[sabre09923 0]

I think we had a thread on this a while ago. I think that you'll find it if you search, if you use "+knee +sprain" as your criteria.

That said, take a couple weeks off, and if the pain doesn't stop I'd consult your doctor. You likely are just bruised or, if you're unlucky, your knee is sprained.

[fatwabbit 93]

when it comes to injuries, last thing you want to do is to rush back into the game... take your time. and in the mean time, once the pain stops, try building up your muscles

[sabre09923 0]

Another thing: start doing squats more, if you don't do them already. Since I really started doing some power squatting stuff and plyo's earlier this year, my knees have felt great.

[Jarick 5]

Yeah I've never been much of a lifter, but I went out and got a fitness ball and did some core stretches and exercises. Knee felt much better afterwards and played a hell of a game. It hurts today though, more stretching and it's better. If it's not feeling 100% by the end of the week, I'll be skipping the next game and going to the doctor. If I had to guess, probably either a bruise or a mild strain, but even though it's not a terrible injury I don't want to make it worse.

[biff44 0]

I would be carefull using the words "stretching" and "knee" in the same sentance! You do NOT want stretched out knees! You want nice tight knees. That is because the knee is just a bunch of loosely fitting stuff that is held together by ligaments and tendons. If you stretch those out, the bones and cartilage are free to move around laterally. At the best, you will then wear some weird grooves in your cartilage, and at the worst things could just go pop someday when you impact it again.

I would work instead on keeping the knee really tight! Things like balancing for a minute on one foot, single legged body-weight squats, etc build up the muscles that give the kneed mechanism all its support!

[fatwabbit 93]

Jarick, just so you know... dont get overly confident with those cheap neoprene sleeves. They can give you a false impression that nothing is wrong.

If the problem persists, check with the doc.

[N!! 0]

Neoprene sleeves are fine if it's only compression that's needed. My father-in-law has had ligament problems and ignored my advice to (until his appointment with the orthopedist arrived) use something that had the full brace to keep everything nice and secure for those three or four days....let's just say he'll never be playing basketball again.

In the case of the original post, it sounds like a mild bruise. Of course, given the amount of connective tissue, muscle, and bone matrix in the area, that's nothing to blow off. I'm a fan of ice massage myself.

[fatwabbit 93]

yea.. i suffered a similar issue, was lucky that i can play again. Torn my ACL in 96, used those neoprene sleeves thinking that I'd be alright (BS army pride). tore it worse 3 months after initial injury because i thought the sleeves would help. 2 Ops and 6 months later, back to playing.

fast forward to 2002, I was using a neoprene sleeve with metal reinforcements... went to do some fancy move on the soccer field, and strained my MCL. Immediately started searching for more options, ended up with customised knee brace for the injured knee.

I now use a knee brace on both knees, as a preventative aid. If you can afford it, or if your insurance covers it, get some knee braces. Innovation sports make pretty good braces. They have a model specific for hockey. ALternatively, you can get the off the shelf C180 as well. Let me know if you need more info, send me a PM or something.

[Wolverine 0]

The "fast-track" for getting back to pain-free hockey is to get it checked out by your PCP or an orthopedist, and then seeing a physical therapist or athletic trainer. You may only need 1-2 PT visits to show you the RIGHT things to do.

Everything else that you are doing is only a 'GUESS' (at best) of what you 'NEED' to be doing.

......... and please be careful about 'medical advice' on the internet!!

... me?

Senior Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainer

Sports Medicine Department

University of Michigan

Good luck!

[Jarick 5]

Yes, I saw the doctor, they did the X-ray, it was a bruise. It flared up on and off for a few months, but over the last few weeks it's felt a lot better.

[N!! 0]

The "fast-track" for getting back to pain-free hockey is to get it checked out by your PCP or an orthopedist, and then seeing a physical therapist or athletic trainer. You may only need 1-2 PT visits to show you the RIGHT things to do.

Everything else that you are doing is only a 'GUESS' (at best) of what you 'NEED' to be doing.

......... and please be careful about 'medical advice' on the internet!!

... me?

Senior Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainer

Sports Medicine Department

University of Michigan

Good luck!

Absolutely.

[shifter 0]

physical therapy.. if it continues to hurt