Addressing Leg And Knee Pain Before It Disrupts The Summer Activities

It doesn’t take much to disrupt the summer activities. A person can step off of a curb wrong and twist their knee. They can trip on a crack in the sidewalk and fall on a knee. Even a minor injury to the ligaments that support the knee can prevent a person from having an active summer schedule. Leg and knee pain can keep a person inactive for weeks, if not treated properly. Here is how these minor knee injuries can be addressed to get rid of the leg pain and return to a summer full of physical activities.

Diagnosing the Cause of the Pain

A visit with a doctor who specializes in the treatment of leg pain in Las Vegas will pinpoint what structures in the knee were injured. The damage could be focused on the muscles and tendons that support the knee. There may have been damage to the ligaments that hold the bones in the knee joint together and allow it to move properly. A physical examination and X-rays will show the cause and the doctor will then be able to make treatment recommendations.

Treating the Annoying Leg and Knee Pain

Injuries to the muscles and tendons in the knees or overstretching of the ligaments in the joint can be treated by a number of non-invasive options, such as:

• knee wraps and braces to give the knee additional support while the tissues heal
• physical therapy on the knee to slowly stretch out tense muscles due to the injury
• electrical stimulation of the nerves in the knee to reduce the pain response
• anti-inflammatory pain medications to reduce swelling and stiffness in the knee

The amount of physical activity may need to be limited while the tissues in the knee heal. But one should continue to be as active as they can tolerate. It’s important to keep using the knee to stimulate circulation and prevent the muscles from becoming tense, which make the knee joint feel stiff. The doctor will give a person exercises that they can do to keep the knee limber while it is healing.

When the Damage to Ligaments in the Knee is Severe

If one of the ligaments that holds the knee joint together becomes detached from the bone or tear completely through, arthroscopic knee surgery will be necessary to repair the ligament to allow the joint to work properly again. This procedure is done in the doctor’s office or an outpatient clinic and, once completed, the person goes home to start their recovery.

After the surgical repair of the ligament, physical therapy on the knee will strengthen the muscles and keep the knee from becoming stiff. As the knee becomes stronger, the person will slowly be able to get back into their preferred summer activities.

A minor knee injury will heal on its own, but it can keep a person off of their feet for weeks. A doctor who regularly treats leg and knee pain can get that person back up on their feet sooner so they can enjoy the rest of their summer.