5 Common Knee Injuries in Ireland
I was privileged to be asked by Kellehers-Shop First Aid to write a sports Injuries Article on Common Knee Injuries to show my support and to help promote “The Positive Ageing Week (Ireland)”.
It is great to see initiatives like this and I am delighted to show my support for this initiative.
Initiatives that see adults in their 60s+ getting active is great to see in Ireland to help older people to take part in exercise and leisure activities to foster better health.
People think that when you get to a certain age you are not able to do this, that or the other. When you get older you can or shouldn’t take part in exercise or physical activities.
I am here to let you know that this is not the case.
With a positive mental attitude, determination, a healthy diet, there are physical exercises and classes and sports clubs all around the country to so everyone of any age or any persuasion can enjoy sport and exercise.
These can be for leisure, to satisfy the competitive streak you have, or you may have a medical condition that requires regular exercise. The key with any sport or exercise is to keep happy and healthy, but the sport or physical exercise or activity must be every day or at least a few times a week.
Some people like rugby, but don’t have the pace or fitness for top level or 1st team rugby at professional or junior/amateur level. That is no problem, many junior/amateur rugby clubs have a 3rd team or social team where anyone can take part and train and play games for the club – who want to stay involved in rugby but not to take it as serious as others and yet be part of a club- all with a social aspect where training isn’t as serious. Soccer and GAA Clubs and other sports clubs provide the same type of teams as well. There are Athletic clubs, swimming clubs, walking, football, 5 aside soccer, operation transformation clubs where people of all ages can take part. There are older people still doing park runs and charity runs, marathons. There is something for everone. For more information go on the internet and search for sports clubs and physical activities locally. Or have a word with local sports people who will put you in touch with the right people.
Sport and Physical Exercise Need Preparation
It is essential to warm up and do stretches and warm down – this makes tendons and ligaments more supple and cope with the rigors of sport and physical exercise, it warms up the body and helps with circulation.
A warm down is good for cooling down after physical activity and sport.
It is essential that you keep hydrated by taking on fluids like water, before, during and after sport and physical activity. As during these activities your body temperature goes up and you become hot and the body’s natural way of cooling itself is to sweat. That needs to be replaced so as to replace lost fluids.
Eating the correct foods in the correct portions at the correct times are essential for good performance in sport and physical activity. Eating the correct foods will give you the required energy to take part in sporting activities.
Not warming up and stretching and warming down, not keeping hydrated and eating correct foods in correct portions at correct times can leave you vulnerable and open to injury due to poor concentration levels and consciousness and low energy levels to name a few a bad diet can lead to longer recovery time and will impair healing ability.
Below are links TO GOOD RESOURCES on preventing injuries through warmups, warm downs and stretches that you can use for most physical activities and sport although additional exercises may be required depending on the actual sport and physical activity.
Warm up https//youtu.be/8UTPZ2wJ0QM– Stretches https://youtu.be/L_xrDAtykMI
– Why keep hydrated https://youtu.be/bQPvGh5z3eE
– Eating correctly is essential for sport
Common Knee Injuries in Ireland-Briefly Explained!
– Patella Tendonitis (jumpers knee)
This is an inflammtion of ligaments in the knee.
Also a ligament tear can occur.
If a full year may require surgery.
Recovery time depends on severity of the injury.
More information available just ask.
ACL Injury
ACL injury is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
The diagram to the right shows the ACL and what an injured ACL looks like.
It requires surgery.
Recover requires alot of rehab varying 6 to 12 months depending on if it is fully or partially torn
– Medial ligament Injury
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is located on the inner aspect, or part, of your knee, but it’s outside the joint itself. … An injury to the MCL is often called an MCL sprain. Ligament injuries can either stretch the ligament or tear it. MCL injury of the knee is usually caused by a direct blow to the knee.
Lateral ligament injury
Knee ligament sprains or tears are a common sports injury.
Your knee ligaments connect your thighbone to your lower leg bones.
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) are found on the sides of your knee. Athletes who participate in direct contact sports like football or soccer are more likely to injure their collateral ligaments.
Miniscus Injury
Like a lot of knee injuries, a meniscus tear can be painful and debilitating.
Unfortunately, it’s quite common.
In fact, a meniscal tear is one of the most frequently occurring cartilage injuries of the knee.
So what is the meniscus?
It’s a piece of cartilage in your knee that cushions and stabilizes the joint. It protects the bones from wear and tear. But all it takes is a good twist of the knee to tear the meniscus. In some cases, a piece of the shredded cartilage breaks loose and catches in the knee joint, causing it to lock up. Meniscus tears are common in contact sports like football as well as noncontact sports requiring jumping and cutting such as volleyball and soccer. They can happen when a person changes direction suddenly while running, and often occur at the same time as other knee injuries, like an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Meniscus tears are a special risk for older athletes since the meniscus weakens with age. More than 40% of people 65 or older have the Meniscus tears are common in contact sports like football as well as noncontact sports requiring jumping and cutting such as volleyball and soccer. They can happen when a person changes direction suddenly while running, and often occur at the same time as other knee injuries, like an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Meniscus tears are a special risk for older athletes since the meniscus weakens with age. More than 40% of people 65 or older have them.
Remember First Aid Matters For Anyone Who Plays Sports or Exercises!
No matter what age we are, unfortunately accidents happen and it pays to be prepared for injuries that can occur whether you are just training or participating in sports. We have a wide range of products to help you be prepared so check out the site.
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