I was at wrestling practice yesterday. We were doing some take down drills. During one of them, I was doing something wrong and the coach showed me the correct way. When he took me down, I did something to my leg. I'm not sure When I got up, I limped for about 30 seconds and then I was alright for the rest of practice. Later, I felt more pain and today it is even more. I feel the most pain when I try to stand up after sitting down for a bit. And today in weight training, we were working our legs. I couldn't do a proper squat because it hurts a lot. It also hurts when I try to do a lunge. It hurts around my knee. After that we ran for about 10 minutes. I sat out for that. Is it a pulled muscle or something else? Would running help the pain or should I just sit out whenever we work the legs? I don't know if I will handle wrestling practice tomorrow, but we'll see. So do you think it is a pulled muscle? How long will it take to heal?
Update:Will ice work because the area is inside my leg. I don't know if it will work. Sometimes when I touch it, I can't even tell where the pain is. All I know is that it is around the knee.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Place ice on the area for fifteen to twenty minutes per hour. Do not apply heat on the area for the negative effects of that could be far more devastating than the original injury. Once the pain has stopped continue with the ice but start to work the leg lightly with weights. If you have access to machinery use a horizontal leg press. This will work the muscles and help them to heal. Stretching is not the answer as it will not address the injury to the muscle. Any resistive movement is okay as long as it is light and doesn't cause any pain. Over the next few days the leg will start to feel better but don't be in any hurry to up the resistance factor. Give the muscle a chance to heal properly. This might be two weeks or longer but the more that you force the progress the more the chances of greater injury. If there is no improvement in two weeks see a physical therapist for help in the treatment. Ride a stationary bike as soon as the leg stops hurting as this will also facilitate recovery. Again do this with a light resistance factor on the flywheel. Always ice the leg post exercise.
If you had pulled the muscle, it would hurt in the middle of your leg or calf, because it's in your knee, it could be anything from torn cartilage, to ligature or tendon damage. Call your coach at home and tell him you are going to hospital. Then tell your parents you need to go. This is a school injury, and insurance is not the problem. You need X-Rays, at the least to rule out a hairline fracture of the bones in the joint.
Fixing the damage early, can save your wrestling career, and keep your scholarship opportunities alive.