Why does my teenager’s knee hurt when he plays sport?
Teenagers grow fast, and bones can grow faster than the muscles and tendons around them. At the same time, school sport adds training, matches and tuition in the same week.
The knee takes the load. Most teenage knee pain comes from the knee being asked to do more than it is ready for, not from damage that lasts.
Which sports in Ipoh bring it on?
Any sport with jumping, running and quick changes of direction can. In Ipoh, that means badminton in the school hall or a club, football and futsal on weekends, hockey, running at the Polo Ground and cross-country at school.
School team trials, inter-school events and a long weekend of matches can pile on in a short time. A teenager who also goes to tuition and sleeps late has less time to recover.
What are the common causes?
A few patterns are worth knowing:
- Pain at the front of the knee around the kneecap, worse on stairs and after sitting.
- A tender bump just below the kneecap, common during growth spurts.
- Pain at the lower tip of the kneecap, after jumping sports.
- Sudden pain after a twist, a landing or a collision, with swelling.
Read more about front-of-knee pain, and futsal ankle and knee injuries.
Should he keep playing, rest or see a doctor?
Use this as a rough guide.
| Sign | What to do |
|---|---|
| Mild ache, settles within a day, no limp | Keep playing with less volume, warm up and watch |
| Pain during play that makes him change how he moves | Rest from the sport, get a physiotherapist to look |
| Swelling, locking, giving way or a pop at the time of injury | See a doctor soon |
| Cannot put weight on the leg, night pain, fever or a hot red knee | Go to the emergency department, such as Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun |
If you are unsure, take the safer step. A short check is cheaper than weeks of playing through damage.
What can he change this week?
Small changes help more than a long break.
- Cut training or match volume for one to two weeks, not all of it.
- Warm up with ten minutes of light jogging and leg swings before play.
- Check his shoes, since worn-out court or football shoes change how the knee loads.
- Avoid long runs of consecutive days playing the same sport.
- Add strength work for the thighs, hips and calves, which a physiotherapist can set.
Talk with him first. A teenager who fears losing his team place may hide pain. Say the goal is to keep him playing for the whole season, not to stop him.
How can home physiotherapy help a teenager?
A physiotherapist watches him squat, step down and land, finds the weak or tight links and builds a plan he can do in the living room. We also talk through training load and how to return to sport safely.
See our sports injuries in children and teenagers page and paediatric physiotherapy in Ipoh. Our Canning Garden centre is opening soon.