Knee Pain
Have you been Experiencing Nagging Knee Pain?
It is common to experience aches at the front, back and/or two sides of the knee. Sometimes the pain can be felt right under the kneecap or even feel like a c-shape around the knee. Fluctuations in swelling at the knee can often leave people frustrated. Meniscus injuries are the second most common injury to the knee, second to the dreaded ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury. About 10-20% of all orthopedic surgeries are performed on the meniscus. Knee replacements are the most common type joint replacement performed.
The knee is made up of four bones (femur, tibia, fibula, patella) and is kept stable by four main ligaments (ACL, MCL, PCL, LCL) and multiple muscle groups including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles.
It is very common when someone starts to experience knee pain, the initial thought is to rest the knee and limit activity. Rest may provide some relief, but then a week or two down the road, the knee starts to hurt again. Often enough, a runner might shut down activity thinking it would help, but then trying to resume running again continues to be difficult and limited. Some people will even try taking an anti-inflammatory, and get short term relief, but again are left frustrated when improvement is not maintained. These are common scenarios that we hear.
Do you feel frustrated and feel that your only option is to take anti-inflammatories, pain medication, get an injection or have surgery?
Common Complaints from People with Knee Pain
When one develops knee pain, there can be many different reasons why.
Some common complaints include:
- Pain when sitting or driving for extended time
- Difficulty with standing or walking for extended time
- Difficulty with bending to lift
- Difficulty with going up and down stairs
- Difficulty with bending to put on shoes and socks
- Having to stop a workout early due to knee pain
- Stiffness and loss of motion at the knee
- Feeling of weakness and unsteadiness at the knee
What Causes Knee pain?
Knee pain can be caused by many different things. In an aged knee or in a knee with a prior injury, it can be frustrating that arthritis of the knee becomes an issue. Sports injuries can result in ligament injuries or meniscus injuries. Unfortunately trauma can result in fractures or tendon injuries. In addition, overuse injuries such as IT Band syndrome, patellar tendinitis, other muscle strains can painful and can limit an individual from performing a number of different activities.
Common Knee Diagnoses:
- Knee Arthritis
- Meniscus Injuries
- Osteochondral injuries
- Ligament Injuries (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL)
- Patellar Tendinitis/Tendinopathy
- IT Band Syndrome
- Patellofemoral Knee Pain
- Post-operative knee (total and partial knee replacement, ACL reconstruction/repair, meniscus repair/debridement)
How can my Knee Pain get Better?
Your physical therapist performs an assessment to determine the cause of symptoms and identifies your limits in range of motion and strength. These findings and thorough discussion with you will determine what things are difficult for you to perform and a plan of action is put together. Physical therapists treatment is tailored to each individual’s needs with the main focus being to find the correct safe exercises for you to perform to improve your pain and function. Hands on treatment such as joint mobilization (movements that guide your joint motion), and soft tissue work help to guide the recovery process. In some situations, other modes of treatment such as electric stimulation, cupping, taping, etc. can also help to guide the process forward. The goal is to decrease inflammation, improve your motion, improve your strength, and improve your function.
Are you Tired of Dealing with Knee Pain?
We know that you may be hesitant or skeptical about physical therapy, and that is okay. We wil customize a knee pain treatment plan just for you. We will work in an effective way to help you achieve your goals. If you would like to contact us, we suggest you to the contact us page and call, text, or send us a message.
We can help you get back on the right track. We have helped many people recover from knee pain and get back to the activities that they love!