Runners put a lot of stress on their knees that they must know how to properly manage to avoid serious injury. Unfortunately, sustained pressure on the knee may cause minor problems to worsen and make it nearly impossible for them to compete. Thankfully, knee treatments can help with this problem.
Knee Pain May Come and Go for Runners
Knee pain is a problem that many runners may experience after a competition. In most cases, the pain should go away if they rest for a few days. If the pain is persistent, they may have injured themselves without even realizing it. This problem can be a very serious one because it may trigger a myriad of related issues that can be hard to manage or which may become worse over time.
Even worse, a runner may have to compete several times in a short period and end up worsening their knee problem. Unfortunately, mistakenly competing instead of resting a knee can not only worsen an injury but cause a more sustained problem that may require surgery to manage. Surgery may be necessary, but with proper aftercare, can be relatively streamlined.
The Nature of Knee Surgery and After-Treatment Methods
Anybody experiencing knee pain that won't go away after a long marathon may want to get surgery at some point if the pain is severe enough. Often, surgery is necessary for extreme situations, such as if the knee cap has become detached from the rest of the joint or if other ligaments have torn severely enough to make surgery absolutely necessary.
Surgery for most knee problems should be over in a few hours and help to stabilize the knee for the runner. However, they're likely to need a few weeks of recovery time before they get back on the competitive path. Therefore, it may be necessary to not only cancel appearances at all up-coming events but to treat the after-effects of the surgery.
For example, icing the knee helps to decrease surgery swelling. Rest and pain medications are also critical to prevent further pain. And by lifting the knee above the heart, it is possible to prevent some swelling and other issues. All of these treatment options are critical to consider after surgery.
Therefore, all runners must talk to a knee surgeon before and after treatment to ensure that things go smoothly. They may have other methods that can help a runner recover, which can get them back on the road to competition more quickly.