When an athlete engages in high-impact sports, joint pain is a likelihood. The continual impact on the joints from running and contact can result in soreness, stiffness and even the eventual replacement of a joint. Whether you're a professional athlete or you prefer throwing around the pigskin on a Saturday, the risk for joint pain and how that pain is treated may have you thinking twice about your sport of choice and what it could mean for your joints.
R-I-C-E
One of the most common remedies that athletes use for joint pain is the RICE method. It stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. While this is a common remedy for strains and sprains, when the injury is the result of swelling around the joint, you may feel stiff and sore. The RICE remedy helps by reducing swelling and immobilizing the joint so it has time to heal. When you suffer from a sore joint, take a few days to rest while icing the sore joint to relieve pain. A compression bandage helps to restrict swelling while elevation draws fluid away from the tender joint.
Pain Medications
Athletes are no strangers to pain, so it's no surprise that they wouldn't be strangers to pain medications either. Pain medication works by blocking the pain receptors in your nerves so that your pain is more manageable. Pain medication works best if you experience only minor joint pain in the day or two after participating in a sport. If you find that you have to take pain medication consistently each time you play, talk to your doctor. You could have the beginnings of osteoarthritis, a joint disease which is usually the cause of overuse and impact.
Injections
When the going gets tough, the tough head to the doctor. Athletes sometimes use injectables to help reduce swelling and pain directly at the joint. One of the most commonly used injectables are corticosteroids, which help reduce inflammation while providing long-term pain relief for a month or two. Hyaluronic acid, a liquid naturally found in healthy joints, can also be injected for better lubrication. The Mayo Clinic College of Medicine also had positive results from injecting Botox into the joints, as referenced by a 2010 "PM & R" study where Botox was used to reduce osteoarthritis symptoms with few adverse side effects.
Surgery
If an athlete's joints are so worn and damaged that they provide near-constant pain, surgery is often the answer. Two common joint surgeries include hip and knee replacement. Total joint replacement involves the removal of the damaged joint, to be replaced by a metal and plastic joint that will function in place of your natural joint. The surgery takes roughly two hours, but will result in a hospital day and six to eight weeks of recovery and rehabilitation. Should an athlete's joint pain become so severe that a full replacement surgery is necessary, it may seriously, but not completely, limit an athlete's ability.
