By Angie Austin, LPTA
Many people associate knee pain with the older population. However, we treat patients of all ages for knee pain. Whether it’s due to arthritis or an injury, it is important to know what causes that knee pain.
The knee is a large hinge joint that gives you the ability to bend and straighten your knee, which is necessary for day to day functional tasks like getting up from a chair or going up and down stairs. Knee symptoms can also often interfere with the basic tasks we need to do every day such as walking. If not from an injury, most people identify knee pain associated with loss of function, which may not always have a direct cause.
Knee pain can be the result of an injury, such as a torn ligament or cartilage or a broken bone. Certain muscle imbalances, tightness, weakness of the hip/knee or foot problems can also contribute to knee problems over time. Overuse injuries, which result in inflammation or tendonitis or bursitis-related impairments or pain. However, most often knee pain is associated with osteoarthritis, which is also referred to as degeneration or basic wear and tear of the joint.
The severity and location of your symptoms can depend on the cause of your problem. Some other symptoms associated with knee pain may also include:
- swelling or redness
- weakness or instability
- popping, crunching or grinding sounds
- inability to straighten or bend your knee
- stiffness
When your knee is painful, odds are good that you are not using it as designed, which may result in loss of range of motion, strength and stability. This in turn may also contribute to other problems associated with the way we choose to move differently to avoid pain. This results in increased stress on the other areas in our body. Persistent knee pain is something that should not ignore.
Physical therapy for knee pain involves a thorough evaluation and assessment of your entire lower extremity from your hip to your foot. Your physical therapist can assess your knee pain and prescribe the right treatments – including exercises, stretches and hands-on manual therapy. These will all help decrease your pain and improve your overall mobility.
Call Loudoun Sports Therapy Center today at 703-450-4300 and start addressing your knee pain before it turns into a more serious issue.
