Knee pain
 

Fellas, I'm getting too old for this. My left knee always feels tight day after game. No matter if I wear a brace or jump band or nothing. My chiro will adjust it but that costs a good bit of money. I use icy hot, ice it, and have a tens unit. Any tricks some of y'all use?

Run more in the offseason.

I jog a lot during the off-season and my knees never bother me during the season.

Yeah, my guess is that your muscles aren't strong enough to handle the sudden running if you're not staying in shape in the offseason. Weight training and offseason running will help that tremendously.

Purchase some White Flower from Amazon. Its cheap and amazing. Expensive product is Aroma Touch from Doterra. Buy a roller and use it on the muscles around your knee to see if you can get them to relax. YouTube Knee stretches.

KT tape. Never used it on my knee but it did wonders for my achilles last season.

voo-doo floss...

Floss Everyday by Mischa Jemionek | CrossFit Love

Thanks! I have tried K tape and was not impressed. Chiro put it on and it didn't help. Plus, it came off very quickly and I had to shave my wooly knee to put it on.

What shoes are you wearing?

Nike flex run. I really really wish saucony made all black shoes. Those are my preferred running shoes. I'm not a reebok zig guy. I have a pair of those for a few years ago and the toe box is way too narrow

perhaps need new insoles to reduce the impact of each step.

I wear Zigs b/c of the cushion and bounce for my college games. I wear Nike Travas for HS games--most comfortable shoes I've ever worn and have decent cushion.

See a specialist. If you don't want PT or surgury they'll most likely tell you to do the following.

1) Lose weight
2) Ibuprofen before games: swelling is bad. Very bad. Very very very bad. Keeping it down during the game helps a bunch of different knee injuries. Not all, so as I said a specialist can help more.
3) Ice right after the game. Learn how to actually ice, I'm always amazed at what people call "icing"
4) Jump band isn't going to help you and is usually for only 1-2 specific pain problems. The right brace WILL help, but swelling is probably inevitable until you take a break and properly care for the knee.


TLDR: Lose weight. Swelling is the bane of knees. Learn proper icing procedure. Figure out what "brace" best suits you

Foam rolling can alleviate some pain, especially if it's caused by tight IT bands.

Foam rolling is dangerous if you don't know what is wrong.

My knees bother me if I don't wear shoes with a lot of cushion. The zigs don't have enough cushion for me. There is an air max 90 out now that has very good cushion. Also, air max accelerate has very good cushion in heel and fore foot. Much more than zigs. The 2016 air max have much more cushion than the 2014 and the 2015. Need a little sharpie work.

Finally, if you want a running shoe similar to saucony, Mizuno actually has a black shoe called wave tenjin. It too needs a bit of sharpie work but it is very light shoe. Extremely expensive however. It has a wave plate the length of the shoe. Similar to their wave prophesy shoes.

Strengthening the quads helps my knees. Mine is from arthritis and is in both knees. When only one hurts it may be something specific causing the problem. Cartilage tear...or flap stuck. Orthopedic surgeon could do exam and have pretty good idea what the problem is.. MRI would tell you for sure. Losing weight works wonders too...if you can do it. Good luck.

You might also take it one step further and look at custom orthotic insoles. It's amazing how the right arch support can bring both the knee and ankle joints into proper alignment. I did this about 8 years ago at the recommendation of my physician, and it has reduced knee pain issues by 90% for me.

Talk to your doc......

I recommend pre-game dynamic stretching (e.g., butt-kickers, karaokes, etc.) prior to the game and static stretching and ice afterward. I had surgery in September to repair a torn meniscus in my right knee and now every time a call a 2/3-game set my knee is sore/stiff for a couple days afterward. If I take the time to stretch and ice when I get home the knee's fine the next day.

While the above worked for me I will also support what some of the others have said that you need to see an orthopedist and get a professional diagnosis.

You could also take a look at how your footstrike is. If you're landing hard on your heel, there's a lot of extra energy going up your leg.

Here's an article about how footstrike effects knee pain in runners.

The quadriceps complex is a much more complicated structure than most people realize. Some muscles cross from origins on the hip, on the outer area, to attachment on inner sites below the knee, while others cross from the inside to the outside, and the most commonly noticed muscles make up the bulk of the over-all structure, in the front of the femur, passing the patella, and also attaching below the knee joint.
If the pain and discomfort is on the inside or outside of the knee joint, a possible cause is an imbalance in the relative strength and flexibility of the muscles that attach to that side of the joint. A Sports Physical Therapist, or a Certified Physical Trainer, with certification in rehabilitation exercise, may be able to provide exercises that will overcome the imbalance.
My knee joint pain, on the inside of my right knee, is lessened, by seated, leg extension exercise, with moderate weight, and consistent exercise. I also use a knee compression sleeve, covered by a soft knee brace - non-hinged. When an imbalance is corrected, overall quad, hamstring, and calf strength and flexibility are to be maintained. Running, by itself, in such cases, is not sufficient to avoid recurrence.
Some physiologists recommend the use of glucosamine, and chondroitin to aid in the maintenance and healing of joint and connective tissue.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also recommended, to ensure proper joint lubrication.
As mentioned by an earlier poster, ibuprofen can be used, before exercise, to avoid inflammation in the affected joint.
As with any lay-offered advice, consult with a trusted physician, before applying any such suggested remedies.

Good stuff. What is proper icing procedure? I do need to start it right after game I'm sure. As with us all I would assume, some sites are 45 min from home and all are at least 15. Need to ice before that for sure. But other than 20 min on, 20 min off, what does one need to do to properly ice. I did some 20/20 tonight and knee feels pretty good right now.

I've been experiencing some knee pain recently and my ATC brother gave me some stretches to do before the game, focusing on the quad and other muscles around the knee. Don't forget the calf! He also recommends a dynamic routine as others have mentioned.

If you're dealing with patellar tendinitis like me, he advised taking a bit of pre-wrap, wrapping it around your calf a few times (tight, but not too tight), then rolling it up and setting it just below your knee cap.

Afterwards, ice. He's suggested taking a gatorade cup and filling it with water, about an inch from the top. Freeze it, and then after your game tear away the top of the cup and rub down your knee with the ice.

I've combined all of it and my knee is feeling better.

Nike Air Max 2015's worked for me.