Other muscles in the lower back, hip, backside and upper leg also affect the function of the knee, so it's important to pay attention to all these muscles. After the first 48 to 72 hours, consider a good deep tissue massage. It may be just what you need to help loosen up those tight muscles.

Don't forget a thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity to come. Without a proper warm up the muscles and tendons will be tight and stiff, increasing your chances of knee injuries. There will be limited blood flow to the leg muscles, which will result in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for those muscles.

Before any activity be sure to thoroughly warm up all the muscles and tendons that will be used during your sport or activity. For a warm up routine to be effective, it must contain a number of elements that work together to minimize a potential injury. Some of those elements include a general warm up, static stretching, sport specific warm up, and some form of dynamic stretching.

Flexible muscles are extremely important in the prevention of most leg and knee injuries. When muscles and tendons are flexible and supple, they are able to move and perform without being over stretched. If however, your muscles and tendons are tight and stiff, it is quite easy for those muscles and tendons to be pushed beyond their natural range of movement. To keep your muscles and tendons flexible and supple, and avoid knee injuries, it is important to undertake a structured stretching routine.

Here is a stretch designed to loosen up the tendons around the knee. Stand upright and cross one foot behind the other. Then lean towards the foot that is behind the other. Hold this stretch for about 15 to 20 seconds, and then repeat it 3 to 4 times on each leg.

Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective. Taking the time to do a few little stretches will prevent bigger problems later on.

Strengthening and conditioning the muscles around your knee and upper leg will help greatly to reduce the chance of knee injuries and knee pain.

If you are in too much pain to resume normal exercise, consider swimming, deep water exercise, or maybe cycling. Otherwise, the following web site, http://www.thewalkingsite.com/knee_exercises.html has a list of simple, easy strengthening exercises for the muscles of the upper leg and knee. To keep your knees in tip-top condition and avoid knee injuries, practice these regularly.

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to forward it to others, make it available from your site or post it on blogs and forums for others to read. All we ask is that this paragraph and URL are included. For more information and articles on stretching, flexibility and sports injury management, visit The Stretching Institute.