Is wearing knee pads good for your knees?

As people's living standards improve, many people pay more and more attention to health preservation, especially the elderly. More and more people like sports. Some people like running, climbing and other sports. Everyone knows that the knees of people who exercise regularly are prone to injuries, especially the elderly. With age, the elderly's physical functions gradually decline. Is wearing knee pads good for the knees?

Common knee problems

1. Anterior cruciate ligament injury: Anterior cruciate ligament injury of the knee is a common acute sports injury. It can occur in any sport, especially gymnastics, skiing, football, wrestling, basketball, volleyball, etc. The degree of injury varies depending on the size of the external force, which can range from a slight strain to a complete rupture; from a single ligament injury to a complex injury of multiple structures. Most patients' training and life are seriously affected.

2. Posterior cruciate ligament injury: Injury to the posterior cruciate ligament of the knee is easy to be missed or incompletely diagnosed in the early stage because the swelling and pain after trauma are not serious and there is no obvious hindrance to movement after the swelling and pain are reduced. If not treated properly, it may lead to late-stage joint instability. The main function of the posterior cruciate ligament is to prevent the lower leg from sliding backward and to prevent excessive flexion and extension of the knee. Posterior cruciate ligament rupture may be accompanied by other tissue injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, etc.

3. Meniscus injury of the knee joint: The meniscus is a semimeniscus cartilage plate between the femoral and tibial joints, one on the inner and outer sides. The inner edge of the cut surface is thin and the outer edge is thick. The inner meniscus is "C" shaped, and the outer meniscus is "O" shaped. Meniscus tear is the most common sports injury. The three major ball games, gymnastics and wrestling are the most common events.

4. Patellar chondromalacia: Patellar chondromalacia is mainly caused by local strain and trauma. The knee joint exerts force on one end, and the patellofemoral joint repeatedly flexes, extends and twists, causing overload friction, abnormal dislocation, impact and twisting, which in turn lead to injury.

5. Patellar tendinitis and patellar tip disease: It is more common in jumping, basketball, and volleyball players, so it is also called jumper's knee. The main lesions are in the patellar tendon, tendon circumference and tendon insertion point at the inferior pole of the patella. The type with pain mainly at the patellar tip is called patellar end-disease; the common type with pain mainly in the tendon is called patellar tendinitis. Or both.

Experts tell you about knee pads

1. Wearing knee pads cannot prevent injuries: Many people often have wrong ideas about knee pads, thinking that using knee pads can "cure diseases and strengthen the body" and solve all joint problems. In fact, knee pads are only auxiliary devices, because the design principle of knee pads is to use elastic bandages to limit the range of joint movement and reduce wear of joint cartilage. When the knee joint is injured, a knee brace is used to maintain the stability of the joint and prevent the tendons and ligaments around the knee from being stretched and injured again. Instead of proactively preventing sports injuries, it cannot fundamentally solve knee problems.

2. Take off the knee brace immediately after exercise: the quadriceps, tendons and ligaments around the knee are responsible for maintaining knee stability during knee joint movement. When using knee braces, part of the above-mentioned human knee stabilization function will be replaced. After long-term exercise, the quadriceps, tendons and ligaments will gradually degenerate due to lack of external stimulation, making the body completely dependent on the protective gear to provide stability. Once removed, the knee joint will feel unstable. Therefore, you only need to wear knee braces when engaging in sports that use your knees, and take them off after exercise to avoid further degeneration of tissues around the knees.

3. Protect your knees, as the saying goes: If you don’t have a knee injury, try not to wear knee pads. Let the body adapt to the external environment and strengthen itself. During daily running, instead of using knee pads to protect your knees, it is better to strengthen your own ligaments and proprioceptors to protect yourself.

Rehabilitation Tips After a Knee Injury

1. Rest quietly: All exercises that may cause pain should be stopped, especially strenuous exercises such as running, long jumping, and going up and down stairs. If there is swelling and pain, you can apply a mixture of ice and water on your knee for ice compress. Do not massage or apply hot compress on your own within 3 days to avoid aggravating the condition. Suspend exercise for about 3 weeks to avoid repeated injuries as much as possible and reduce the possible impact on future sports and daily life. You can wear protective gear to brake the knee and ankle joints.

2. Strength training: Strengthening strength training can restore muscle balance and speed up recovery.

1) Straight-leg lifting exercise: The patient sits or lies flat, fully contracts the front of the thigh, straightens the knee joint as much as possible, points the toes downward as much as possible, and slowly lifts the leg about 15 cm from the bed surface. Hold until exhaustion, then slowly lowers the leg straight. Repeat 10 times in a set, with 10 seconds interval between each time. Do 3 to 5 sets a day, and alternate between the left and right legs. The key to this exercise is to fully straighten the knee joint. If you bend it, the effect will be greatly reduced.

2) Static squat exercise: lean your back against a wall, place your feet and knees shoulder-width apart, and squat with your toes pointing forward. You can control the squat depth yourself, which can basically be controlled at around 2 minutes. Do 5-10 times in a set, with 10 seconds interval between each time, and do 2 sets a day. To work your inner thighs, you can also place a ball between your knees. If you feel pain during this process, you can avoid the injury zone by slightly adjusting the angle up and down, and try to keep the exercise outside the pain arc.

3) Isometric contraction of the quadriceps: that is, tightening and relaxing the thigh muscles. Do as much as you can without increasing pain. When practicing, place your hands on your thighs, especially on the slightly inner side of the lower thighs, and feel the contraction of the vastus medialis muscle. Make sure you can clearly feel each contraction. This exercise can contract muscles, induce movement of the patellofemoral joint, maintain the flexibility of the patella after injury, and play a great role in preventing stubborn adhesions of the joints. At the same time, it can ensure the normal elasticity of the muscles and has a great effect on the flexibility of the entire knee joint.

3. Stretching exercises: Stretching exercises can help you relax tense thigh, buttocks and calf muscles. Each stretch should be maintained for about 25 seconds, and 2-3 sets per day.