Freestyle wrestling is a combat sport, one in which two athletes try to force the other's body into compliance through strength and technique. Despite this, it's relatively safe as compared to football and even cheerleading. The motions and forces involved in freestyle wrestling, however, do put an athlete's knees at more risk than many other sports.
Knee Wrench
A wrenched knee happens when forces push your knee to bend opposite to, or lateral to, the angle at which it's supposed to bend. In wrestling, this usually happens when an opponent slams into one half of your leg while the other is immobilized -- as during a takedown or a throw. Simple leg strength and mobility are your best defenses against this injury. Strong legs that move well won't be immobilized when the attack comes.
Knee Abrasion
Wrestlers spend time on their knees, and sometimes rub their knees along the surface of the rubber mat. Sometimes, this leaves part of the knee behind in an injury called "mat burn" or "mat rash." Some wrestlers wear knee pads do avoid this painful but minor ding. Others practice long enough to develop callouses that prevent it.
Knee Twist
A twisted knee happens with the knee rotates in its joint rather than bending appropriately, and puts the athlete at risk for serious and long-lasting knee injury. The rules of wrestling prevent many knee twists by forbidding moves likely to cause them, and by allowing the referee to stop the match if it looks like one might happen. Athletes can reduce their chances of knee twists the same way they can prevent a knee wrench: by building the strength and reflexes that will help them counter the situations that cause one.
Bursitis
The bursa is a fluid-filled sac that acts as a pad for your knee and other joints. Hard or repeated impact on the knee can cause inflammation of the bursa called "bursitis." This inflammation is a painful, common, but not terribly serious, affliction. The frequent slamming of your knees to the mat inherent to freestyle wrestling puts you at risk for bursitis of the knee. If you develop bursitis, knee pads can mitigate the pain but time is the only treatment that will heal the condition.
Common Sense Caution
Your knees are important. Although the occasional knee "ding" is to be expected in a sport like freestyle wrestling, acute or long-lasting pain in the knees mean you should go to the doctor. Stop wrestling if your knee feels injured, and don't start back up until a medical professional says it's all right.
References
- NCAA: Wrestling Rules
- "The Sports Injury Handbook"; Christer Rolf; 2010
