What are the causes, what can you do about it?
Knee pain after or during basketball is a real bummer. Unpleasant feelings of throbbing, pulling or even stinging below and around the kneecap can have many causes - and make you feel really insecure on the court if you don't know whats causing it. Below we will hi-light a few classic causes that can lead to knee pain during or after basketball and show you solutions to combat them.
Where does it hurt?
Jumper's Knee
In connection with basketball and other jump-intensive sports, "jumper's knee", known to doctors as patellar tendinopathy, is a particularly common knee injury.
The pain from patellar tendinopathy occurs at the front of the knee, slightly below the kneecap, and is typically caused by overloading the patellar tendon. This tendon connects the lower tip of the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone (tibia). With repetitive strain, such as jumping, strong tensile forces act on this tendon, which can lead to painful degenerative changes (hence the name "jumper's knee").
Injuries to the meniscus or (anterior) cruciate ligament
While a jumper's knee injury can usually be treated conservatively, injuries to the meniscus or cruciate ligament often require surgery. This would lead to several months off of the court, which could cost you your hard-won place on the team.
To help you get back on the court quickly, we have developed an official NBA-licensed knee brace to help prevent and rehab these injuries. The brace has an anatomically shaped Omega pad which encases your kneecap and absorbs pressure peaks. The pad massages the connective tissue surrounding the joint during movement and two lateral pressure points in the lower part of the pad provide additional stimulation.
This intense stimulation sends you noticeable feedback, which in turn counteracts stress and reduces the risk of injury. In addition, pain related to overloading abates faster.
Avoid injuries and knee pain
They say that the best offense is a strong defense, so with that in mind the best therapy against knee pain is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. In addition to a thorough warm-up, regular stretching and good regeneration, our Sports Supports and Compression Sleeves can help.
The seamless compression stimulates blood circulation around the knee joint, improves muscle control and releases energy reserves for your game.
Knee pain after basketball: What can you do about it?
As annoying and worrying as knee pain is, you don't have to just accept it. With these simple measures, you can not only speed up your recovery, but also help get rid of pain quicker.
RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
You can get quick relief from knee pain with the RICE rule. The "R" stands for "rest". Take care to quickly relieve the pain in the knee and refrain from continuing the training. "Ice" or cold is good to avoid too much swelling and relieves the pain immediately. If possible, use cold gel compresses and make sure not to apply them directly to the skin, but wrap them in a thin towel. "Compression", e.g. with the help of a Sports Support or Compression Sleeve, ensures that swellings and bruises do not spread further. You can also improve the return flow of blood to the heart and accelerate healing by "elevating" the injured knee.
Light training / exercises
Depending on how severe the pain and the injury are, you can start light training again after an appropriate rest period. Activities that are much easier on the joints than basketball are recommended when starting back, e.g. swimming, yoga, aqua jogging or light weight training. This will boost the metabolism in the joint without causing further overload and worsening the situation.
Wearing a knee brace
Wearing a knee brace or support like our Sports Knee Support NBA is a strong positive step to take in relieving pain.
Sports Knee Support NBA
Thanks to the 3D AirKnit and the Omega pad, our top knee support for basketball stimulates the connective tissue and the surrounding muscles and improves sensorimotor function. Your knee joint is stabilized and relieved.
Knee pain will never distract you from scoring again!
Buy Sports Knee Support - NBA Now
