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St. Francis Sports Medicine Newsletter | May 2011

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May 2011

Featured Events

GH Rugby
ALS Walk
SouthSide 5K Challenge
From top: Greenville High Rugby, ALS Walk and Southside 5k Challenge

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Greetings!

Our knees often take a beating. They tend to work harder than most parts of our body, especially with all the running, jumping and bending associated with sports. Patella Tendonitis, also referred to as "jumpers knee," is a very common sports injury resulting from the overuse of the knee. Please continue reading to learn more about patella tendonitis:
Patella Tendonitis: A Real Pain in the ... Knee!

Patella Tendonitis is an irritation or inflammation of the patella tendon (which connects our kneecap, known as the patella, to our shin). The signs and symptoms are easy to detect, as those experiencing patella tendonitis will often complain of having sharp pain the area of the tendon, tenderness, and localized swelling.

A variety of instances can elicit pain and discomfort to the patella, including:
  • Overuse or overtraining
  • Drastic increase in intensity and frequency of a workout
  • Poor quadriceps (thighs) strength and flexibility
  • Transition from one sport to another (as in high school sports)
  • A change in training surface
However, in certain sports there may be more specific reasons to why an athlete has knee pain -

Cycling
  • The seat is too low or too far forward which can cause anterior (front) knee pain
  • The seat is too high which can cause posterior (back) knee pain
  • The gear is set too high
Running
  • Shoe quality - shoes should be changed roughly every  300-500 miles
  • Surfaces - extremely hard or soft surfaces, or uneven surfaces
  • Down hill - increases stress on the quadriceps muscle
Protecting our knees is imperative. If it is possible to identify a specific causation, such as a seat level or training surface, then making the proper adjustment along with general treatment should help significantly. General treatment for patella tendonitis consists of:
  • Ice - after activity apply ice for 15-20 minutes
  • Quadricep stretching
  • Quadricep strengthening - knee extension, lunges, step ups
  • Anti-inflammatories - over-the-counter medication taken as directed (Advil/Ibuprofen/Aleve/Naproxen Sodium)
Healthy and strong knees improve both performance and longevity. Should these general treatment techniques not show any improvement within 1-2 weeks, call 675-HURT or contact your  St. Francis Sports Medicine Physician for an evaluation.

 

Calling All Cyclists!

Please join us for the St. Francis Sports Medicine Summer Race Series Race #2 on May 26. It will be a special night! All riders who donate $50 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society  will get to race for FREE. We will have a great night of racing while benefitng a great cause. Join us at the BMW Performance Driving School. The first race starts at 6pm.

Jenny Gonzalez, Director of St. Francis Sports Medicine, has accepted the challenge of becoming one of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) candidates for the Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY) campaign. Please click here to read more about Jenny's campaign and why she decided to accept the challenge.

 

Did You Get Down and Dirty at the Mud Run?


Thanks to all those who participated in the 7th Annual St. Francis Mud Run on April 30 - May 1st. Make sure to check out our photo gallery and we hope to see you again next year! 


Mud Run - Foundation OfficeMud Run - Outpatient Rehab
Mud Run - Outpatient Rehab 2Mud Run - Foundation Office 2

Pictured (clockwise): St. Francis Foundation Office Team, St. Francis Outpatient Team, SFSM Team, St. Francis Outpatient Team