Couple years ago in college, i was advised not to play on hard-floor court (floor made by cement or tile) as one of the effects is damaging the bones around legs (i have no idea about the medical names for human anatomy). I played like twice a week so i did not feel any immediate effect on my body during the time. Recently, i was visiting my college for couple weeks to meet some friends who i used to play together back in the old times. As it was an exciting days, we played everyday, with 2-3 hours each session. After the first 2 days of playing, i felt something strange with both of my knees. The third day of playing, i felt painful on my knees (like the socket is falling apart), and whenever i sit, jump, crouch, or walk, both knees will make some "snap" sound-alike. For the record, i did many jump-smash all across the court during the play. never felt, nor got into any on-court accidents. I did little of warm-up thou. Question is, is this the effect of playing on hard-floor?
1) you need to do cooling down as well (not just warming up) 2) you need to wear badminton shoes with good power cushions. http://www.yonex.com/sports/badminton/products/badminton/footwear/shbf1ltd/#productTechnology_190 3) you should avoid hard court as much as possible.
Not to play on hard court is not an option for many people like me. :crying: I play in a decent indoor court with wood flooring, which is just set on hard concrete below (without any cushioning), and play almost everyday for about 1-1.5 hours. I do warm and cool down everyday. I have not had so much problem as "socket falling apart". Although mild pain does arise from time to time depending on the rigorousness of play on a particular day. But it hasn't troubled me for a longer duration. I do notice some pain around the ankle when I do fair bit of jump smashing on a given day. But that goes away after a day or rest. This could be down to the fact that wood by nature (cushioned or not) is softer than concrete. Most of the players on here, wear some kind of knee support (at least on one leg).. may be you should have some joint support too apart from using good quality shoes. Some people also keep heel cushions in their shoes for added comfort.
Proper badminton floor mats provide good traction and cushion. You can move around with ease. Playing on hard floor is harsh on the legs because you have to try to grip the floor harder and there is no cushion at all. Even worst, most hard courts are dusty so they are slippery. Just the right recipe for injury.
You may have got Jumpers Knee (patella tendonitis). I suffered from it but started to use a patella band and avoided hard floors. Its still there but at least I can play.
As you get on with age like some of us, I'm approaching 50, you'll understand that it's not worth it to play on hard surfaces. I refuse to play on anything but badminton mat or suspended wood flooring.
proper badminton shoes are extremely important. it must be light, soft and with excellent grip. Yonex does make the best cushion, imo.
I've only had one injury in my legs over the years (touches wood) and that was when I was training on a very hard wooden floor. I first felt something tear just beneath my knee cap in my left knee and my knee has never been the same since. The floor is so important in badminton I would urge players to be more careful playing on hard surfaces particularly if they jump a lot. I've had twisted ankles and slips on dusty courts which are a major hazard to badminton players. Some would argue a dusty/slipperly court could be seen as a safety hazard.
Simple answer: a hard floor is hard on the knees (no matter what fancy shoe or insole you have). But not everyone is affected the same. If there is no choice, don't stop playing; just listen to your body and be careful. P.S. Knee joints don't have sockets. (sorry, had to put that straight)
For those of you that a regular visitor to the gym and often spending some cardio time at treadmill, maybe you could also consider spending some cardio time at elliptical instead, since unlike treadmill it would have lesser pressure to our knee joint.
this is an addendum to my post#2: 4. wear proper knee support: http://www.lp-support.com/product/con_body.php?MID=7 5. learn the proper footwork technique http://www.bwfbadminton.org/page.aspx?id=19996 http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2078E0C68066EA67 http://www.coachingbadminton.com/en/ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEBDE1E42B3A9BC37&feature=plcp 6. develop muscle strength 7. Sleep well. 8. Understand ice and heat therapy.. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/heatorcold.htm
Most people don't know where the pain is coming from with knees. Pointing to one spot my mean a ligament strain, or miniscus. You need to see a physiotherapist or a sports doctor to get a diagnosis, otherwise you'll never know how to deal with the pain. All these posts above may be helpful, or they could be completely useless without a proper diagnosis. A knee brace could help in one situation (ligaments), whereas the surace of the floor might be the culprit in another situation. Then again, the lunge motion repeated in badminton may be causing miniscus damage, which no shoe or floor surface will help.
I agree, sounds like you have tendonitis in your knee. And yes, there's a good chance that it had something to do with the hard court sport surface you've been playing on. Would you say you always used proper shoes? That can make a difference.