Swimmer’s Knee: swimmer's knee injury and treatment

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Note! This article is intended to be of general informational use only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice from a doctor.  

Despite the fact that sports should give health, prolonged and intense training leads to injuries and diseases. You might wonder - How can swimming cause knee pain? Injuries in swimming are a frequent phenomenon, especially problems with the knee joint since the knees are involved in every training session.

Breaststrokers face the inflammation of the knee joint more often, so the disease itself is called "breaststroker's knee". But there are some cases when knee pain occurs after swimming freestyle. Due to the stretching of the medial collateral ligament of the joint, the athlete experiences pain with the excessive daily load.

Symptoms of swimmer's knee injury

Already at an early stage of the disease, you can track the following symptoms:

• pain in the lower part of the knee;
• dull pain is present even without loads;
• tension in the knee;
• immobility - the swimmer loses the ability to swim quickly, flexibility decreases;
• the joint does not fully unbend;
• swelling, redness in the knee area.
  

Swimmer's knee treatment

Consult with a doctor. Usually diagnosis is carried out by palpation. The ligaments are located close to the skin, so an X-ray is not often required.

The doctor can also determine the swimmer's disease by external signs. The knee begins to swell. When pressed, there is a sharp pain.

Treatment at the initial stage consists of:

• taking antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs;
• applying an ice compress for 15 minutes twice a day;
• rest from training, the recovery period is determined by the doctor;
• therapeutic gymnastics, swimmer's knee exercises for recovery, which are aimed at strengthening the ligaments and muscles.
  

If you do not follow the doctor's recommendations during the initial stage of the disease, this will lead to the 2nd and 3rd stages. After that, it will be impossible to return to the sport, so swimming knee pain is a bad sign.

If your knees hurt after swimming, this is a serious reason to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Continuing to swim with a knee injury and endure pain is not the best option. Such an injury responds well to treatment and with timely treatment, the forecasts are the most optimistic. Take care of yourself!