At age three, I started recreational soccer. At age 10, I was still playing recreational soccer, and I got asked to play competitive soccer. From age 10 through 16, I was playing competitive soccer during those years. Moreover, at 17, I played recreational soccer, as well as being a recreational/competitive soccer referee. In addition, by sophomore year in high school, I was not playing soccer, I was only refereeing, yet during that time of being a sophomore, I got recruited to play for my school's Unified Basketball team. From sophomore year all the way to my senior year of high school, I played unify basketball. Although every year of me playing basketball I had this constant knee pain mostly in my left knee, although I thought it was nothing as my parents had said that it would go away on its own and to shake it off well that was not the case, by the time my second semester of college started, my knee pain came back.

My parents told me to shake it off like they did the first time I told them, but I told them that the pain was sharp and ached at times. Sometimes just walking a lot made me have knee pain, as well as bending a lot and keeping my knee in a bent position like going to the movies or a long car ride. That pain was not fun to deal with; it was sharp and hurt a lot. So my mom called my doctor to schedule an appointment . Therefore, when it was time to see my physician, he sent me to a sports medicine doctor who then checked my knees out and coming to one of the last tests he did to me, he knew right then and there that I had a problem with my knees. He told me I had patellofemoral syndrome and I would have to go to physical therapy.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a syndrome characterized by knee pain ranging from severe to mild discomfort seemingly originating from the contact of the posterior surface of the patella (back of the kneecap) with the femur (thigh bone).

Now, playing soccer was something I loved, yet who would have thought I would love unified basketball, as well. These two sports were amazing to play, although soccer is my favorite all time, basketball was great to because scoring a basket was a lot of fun and thrilling.

Playing my different sports, I never thought I would have to deal with injuries. That was not the case, and being a female soccer player I had misaligned legs and knee from not getting the proper training. Also playing basketball, running up and down the soccer field and the basketball court as well as jumping for baskets and defending the other playing from getting a basket and goal was doing more than giving me exercise. It gave me runner's knee. Despite that, when I first saw my physical therapist he looked at my knee and told me what I had and he told me that I had tight hamstrings, rotated tibia, tight it band, jumper's knee and runner's knee as my physical therapist had told me. He also told me that all of these was from not getting the proper stretches done to me or proper fitness training to me. In addition, he also told me I was lucky that I never tore my ACL. The reason he said that was because when he saw my knee he could not believe how misaligned my knee was as my hip was turned inward (internal rotation), my tibia was turned outward (external rotation), and I was knock-kneed as well as my foot was rolled inward. All of those things could have made me more prone to tearing my ACL, although I was one of the lucky ones who was lucky enough that my ACL did not tear when I played my sports.

From going to physical therapy and doing tons of exercising there and getting electrical stimulation, ice, exercises, and massages on my knee, I finally stopped getting knee pain. Although going to physical therapy was a lot of work the end result was great. To this day, I am going to the gym to strengthen my knees and doing my physical therapy stretches as well to strengthen my muscles in my legs and around my knees. Obviously, I am more careful with my knee mostly the left one. Also, I tend not to use stairs a lot at college because going up and down them seriously aggravates my knee as this past week my knee bruised up a little bit. So I am more careful with my knee. Also, my knee does pop, crack, and gives out sometimes but that's just some of the side effects of having a knee injury. Running is fine for now but if my knee pain comes back in any form I know what exercises to do, also if it still hurts or if the pain is worst than last time I know that I can call my sports doctor up and physical therapist up and they will help me get better.

Playing soccer and basketball was a lot of fun, despite the injuries I got. To this day, I know I will be living with it my whole life but right now I am feeling well and despite the pops and cracks in my knee, everything is alright.

This injury could have been prevented if I got the right fitness training, the right exercise regimen, and the right running and jumping techniques. That is why I feel that nowadays all sports teams whether it is recreational or competitive or high school sports, that they should get sports trainers, athletic trainers, and some physical therapy so that this injury and all other sports-related injuries can be prevented.