Knee Pain After Exercise

Published: 2022-09-07

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Knee pain is one of the common complaints of athletes at all levels, especially for racquet sports. Knee pain for Tennis players and pickleball players are due to the effects of repetitive movements and stress on the knee joint on the hard court.

Pickleball is a mixture between racquetball, ping pong, and tennis. Even though pickleball is easier on your joints than tennis and racquetball, that does not mean that something like knee pain won't develop playing pickleball. Always make sure you get your detailed physical examination done in your doctor’s office (also known as a pre-participation examination) to make sure there are no contraindications to participating in pickleball games.

There are some common knee injuries in racquet spots, such as pickleball:

Knee strains (muscle strain and ligament sprain)

This kind of injury may be caused by an overuse injury or deconditioning in muscle groups that are frequently required to lunge, jump, change directions, and/or pivot. Depending on the severity of muscle strain injuries which will require a sports medicine doctor’s office visit to determine in order to safely return to sports, this type of injury needs protection and neuromuscular reeducation rehabilitation treatments.

Wearing a knee brace can help support a sprained/strained knee. In our office, we also implement taping techniques to facilitate the healing process.

Patellar Tendonitis

This is mostly seen in sports that require frequent “stops and goes” type of movements. The pain usually worsens during or after sports activities. Players usually point in front of their kneecaps or around the lower portion of the kneecaps. Common treatment includes a knee strap brace, Kinesiotaping or KT tape for the knee, ice, stretching, and corrective exercises. Here is an example of Kinesio tape (Kt Tape) for this type of knee pain. Always have your health professionals evaluate your knee pain before applying any athletic tape.

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If you are looking for the perfect tape to add to your sports bag, click the link below for sports tape recommendations:

Knee pain due to generative changes (arthritis in knee joint)

Osteoarthritis in the knee joint, either because of the aging process or previous knee injuries, can cause significant amounts of pain during exercises. Pickleball, per se, is not an easy sport that demands lots of repetitive movements on the hard courts. Too much and too frequent overuse of the inflamed joints can lead to the breakdown of cartilage in between knee joints. It is important for any players who wish to enjoy a long, pleasant pickleball season to properly manage the severity of osteoarthritis. Treatment can include strengthening lower body muscles like glutes, hips, and lower leg muscles, as well as maintaining proper alignments in the lower body by getting adjusted by your certified sports chiropractors.

ACL/PCL or meniscus Tear

In some cases, when our knee joint cannot withstand the exertion of forces while playing pickleball, players may experience the inability to bend or straighten their knee joints due to pain. Proper orthopedic examinations may be warranted to rule out possible tears in anterior cruciate ligaments/posterior cruciate ligaments and/or meniscal tears. Based on evaluation and advanced imaging findings, a treatment plan can be determined for the players.

This is information only. Please always check with your health providers for appropriate injury management.