Top 5 Tips for Preventing Knee Hyperextension

5 Tips to Prevent Knee Hyperextension

Knee hyper-extension, otherwise known as “genu recurvatum,” is a common injury among athletes who engage in high impact sports such as: football, soccer, skiing, and basketball, among others. But, knee injury can happen to just about anyone, especially if you are hit on the joint while your knee is straightened. This can negatively impact your movement, and by extension, affects your productivity if not prevented.

Knee hyper-extension occurs when the knee joint is straightened beyond its normal range of motion, thereby putting pressure on the knee structures and the back of the knee joint. The level of its severity can vary depending on the extent of the accident. Injuries from knee hyperextension can range from minor inflammations such as swelling, pain and tissue damages to more severe conditions like damages of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), or popliteal ligament (the ligament along the back of the knee). No doubt, knee hyperextension could have untoward impacts on your movement and the performance of your day-to-day activities if not prevented.

So, if you’re a sports enthusiast or someone who is just recovering from a stroke attack and you’re looking for ways to prevent knee hyperextension, read on as we share with you the top 5 tips that can help you prevent the injury. Here are the tips:

1. Make Use of Motion Intelligence Device

There are several motion intelligence devices, including nCounters’ essential angle biofeedback solutions, which can help you to monitor in real time the movement of your knees and give you feedback via set of headphones. These feedbacks will help you to quickly adjust when you’re about going off limit. The device is good for sport enthusiasts as well as patients with stroke.

2. Use of Knee Braces

There are a wide range of knee braces on the market, which when wrap around your hinged knee, can help to prevent knee hyperextension. The knee brace gives you controls over your movement by providing the support and stability needed to prevent you from hyper-extending your knees. This way, any of your knees won’t hyper-extend forcefully.

3. Engage in Strengthening Exercise

For people who have suffered stroke or any other form of leg injuries in the past, there are strengthening exercises that are designed to help strengthen and stabilize the muscle at their knee joint to prevent hyper-extended knee injury. Strengthening exercises, such as Quarter Squats, Straight Leg Raises, and Hamstring Strengthening Exercise, are often recommended to prevent knee hyperextension.

4. Warming-Up before Athletic Events

Taking time to warm-up your muscles and joint before starting a major athletic event can go a long way to help prevent hyperextension. It prepares the entire your body including the knee muscles and joints for the rigorous activities that are to come.

5. Always Take Time to Cool Off after Every Sporting Event

If you want to reduce the risk of knee hyperextension, you must always give yourself the time to relax your muscles and joint after every workout or athletic event so they can regain their strength. This is especially important for people who participate in high-risk sports.

Essential Angle Monitor giving feedback on knee flexion