It happens all the time. You finally find that sport that clicks with you and now you can’t get enough of it. Everyday when you wake up, you anticipate the next chance you’ll have to get out on the field, the court, the track, etc. For many athletes, their sport becomes a part of who they are. It’s a stress reliever, a source or energy and inspiration, a social activity and so much more.

That’s why it can be especially frustrating when an overuse injury—stemming from that very enthusiasm that gets you out there everyday—keeps you from enjoying your sport.

One very common acute injury is knee pain. Patellar tendinitis, also known as “jumper’s knee,” can flare up as a result of repetitive running, sudden stops, pivoting and—you guessed it—jumping on hard surfaces. This should ring a bell for the basketball players out there.

Knee injuries are so common in basketball that they’re often overlooked or not given the attention that they need. It sometimes leaves you wondering what basketball knee injury treatments are best? It’s always tempting to try and play it tough and not let a sore muscle prevent you from playing the game. But the truth is, every time you make a jump shot, you’re straining that injury which in the long run could lead to a tear or degeneration of the tendon, which is not going to help your layups, to say the least.

Basketball Knee Injury TreatmentsBefore it gets to this point, basketball players need to take proactive steps to care for their jumper’s knee. This is done by increasing strength and flexibility. EMS (electrical muscle stimulator) machines can be applied to the knee as a safe post-workout therapy that will help strengthen and heal the muscles andincrease the range of movement. EMS works by generating gentle muscle contractions using electrical impulses, and is proven to aid in the healing of overuse injuries from basketball and other sports.

For the pain, use EMS and its companion electrotherapy machine, TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) as a natural remedy. For sports-related injuries such as patellar tendinitis, avoid anti-inflammatory medications and painkillers at all costs. Not only are there multiple studies now showing the dangers of over-the-counter drugs like Advil or Tylenol, but the anti-inflammatory effects of these medications will actually do more harm than good to your conditioning. The purpose of an athlete’s hard work and training is to adapt the body to the sport and the demands it makes on the body. A 2008 study that was published by the journal Clinical Rheumatology showed that electrotherapy helps strengthen the knee just as much as an exercise program of equal length and that over-the-counter drugs have no added benefit and may even hold you back from growing beyond your current limitations. Not one of the best basketball knee injury treatments to say the least.

In basketball especially, knee problems should not be ignored. Give them the attention they need before you sustain a serious injury. Add to your conditioning a routine of electrotherapy (such as iReliev’s over-the-counter TENS + EMS machine), exercises and stretches that will strengthen the muscles that support the knee, such as quadriceps stretches or wall sits, and watch as you become the first player on your court who recovers from jumper’s knee.