Knee Injuries: Preventing Injury During Your Turkey Day Football Game! by 30Seconds Health

Not only is college football and the NFL in full swing, but a lot of us are also gearing up for touch football games on Thanksgiving. This year, take a look at the injuries in the Pro Ball and be ready. We need to take potential injuries seriously, especially those of us who may play only a few times a year.

Dr. Leon E. Popovitz, an orthopedic surgeon at New York Bone and Joint Specialists, explains that knee injuries are one of the most common for football players, and in particular, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears (ACL tears). ACL tears are “the result of trauma, contact or non-contact (such as sharp pivoting in stop and go turns). This can significantly curtail a player's season as it would require reconstructive arthroscopic surgery and often take between six months and one year to fully rehab and recover. Thus, the season would be lost." Prior to playing football or any strong contact sport this season, Dr. Popovitz encourages everyone to:

• Stretch prior to playing, focusing on hamstring and ITB stretches
• Do hamstring strengthening
• Know your limitations
• Braces may help for security but not always

If a tear does occur, you will experience symptoms of severe pain in the knee, and often swelling, and difficulty moving the knee at all. Often a painful knee is not a tear but, a stain instead. Therefore, Dr. Popovitz recommends:

• Five to six weeks of rehabilitation that includes strengthening exercises designed to rebuild the muscles and restore the range of motion. This should be enough to recover from the injury without tears.
• If a complete tear occurs, then young and active patients would often require minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery to reconstruct the ACL. This may require between six to nine months of post-operative rehabilitation and the patient is then ready to return for the next season.

Have a fun and safe Thanksgiving, and visit NYBoneAndJoint.com for more information.