Dwyane Wade gets knee treatment, tries to stay in play with Heat

Dwyane Wade is continuing to play with the Miami Heat despite a painful chronic knee injury that put him on the bench in the team's playoff series against the Bulls.

Wade's doctor has cleared him to play, but it is likely the shooting guard will be in pain with every knee movement. He is suffering from bone bruises that get banged by the kneecap as he moves, which causes major pain, the Miami Herald reported.

While he is playing, he has resorted to using a bandage to limit how much his kneecap moves -- it is unorthodox, but serves as the best way to reduce pain. Wade said the bandage is used to stabilize his knee.

"You have a bruise, you try to move the kneecap over so it won't rub," Wade said. "The tape comes off a little bit when you get the game sweat, so you have to re-tape."

Wade said Monday that he expects to play in the game Wednesday, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did not give a clear answer on the matter -- but he did say that Wade will be effective if he does.

"He'll fight through it," Spoelstra said. "He never makes excuses for anything, and he's giving us everything he's got."

Wade has been dealing with soreness for more than two months, and has bruised the knee at least three times since March 6, when he sustained the initial injury, ESPN reported.