Knee pain affects roughly 25% of adults and is especially prevalent among professional athletes. This type of pain and the knee injuries that cause it are common among football players, says Sonia Ruef, an assistant athletic trainer with the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team.
Ms. Ruef, who is entering her 11th season with the Steelers, says the demands of the sport can put a lot of wear and tear on knee joints. According to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Sports Health, one in four National Football League players who have previously had knee surgery go on to suffer knee osteoarthritis, despite being only 20 to 26 years old.
