Library of Conditions We Treat: Knee pain
Knee injuries are the most frequent site of injuries in athletes. The most common knee injuries are made up of strains, contusions, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). They usually occur in adolescent football players, with the rates ranging from 8 to 36%.
As high school and college students enjoy more and more the chances to engage in sports competitions, the risk of knee pain and injuries also increases. To lower the injury risk and protect players’ safety, the right assessment and treatment by the sports medicine team are must-do activities.
You come in the right place if you’re experiencing mid or lower back pain. Our library of conditions covers everything you need to know about your back pain and what we can do to help you. Click on the links below for more information on common conditions focused around the middle and lower back, and learn how our expertise can lead you toward relief. Read, learn more, and start your journey to a pain-free life today!
Understanding Knee Sprains and Strains
Knee strains and sprains are common injuries around the knee, particularly in athletes. A strain occurs when muscles or tendons are damaged, while a sprain occurs when ligaments are affected. Both kinds of injuries can happen either suddenly due to sudden movements or overuse.
Symptoms usually consist of pain, swelling, bruising, and trouble with moving the knee. Strains and sprains are most common in football and basketball. The adolescents are the most vulnerable as those aged 15 to 19 are the largest group of patients with knee strain or sprain.
These injuries account for a considerable part of all injuries in sports and are the main reasons for missed games in professional leagues. The immediate treatment usually involves rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE).
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapy can help you if you suffer from knee strain or sprain and can recover faster with individualised rehabilitation programs tailored to your needs.
What Therapy Might Include
- Early Weight Bearing
- Knee Bracing if needed
- Cryotherapy
- Supervised Rehabilitation
- Therapeutic Exercises: Weight-bearing and non–weight-bearing exercises to increase thigh muscle strength and performance.
- Neuromuscular Re-Education: Training to improve knee stability and movement coordination.
If you’re dealing with knee pain or an injury, don’t wait. Contact us today to start your recovery journey and get back in the game stronger than ever
Understanding Meniscus Injuries
Injuries in the meniscus are common, affecting mainly athletes and older active individuals. There are two menisci, the lateral and the medial meniscus. They act as shock absorbers in the knee joint, as a cushion.
Meniscus tears mainly happen due to trauma or degeneration, corresponding to about 15% of sports injuries.
If you suffer from a Meniscus injury, there will be swelling, and you will find it difficult to bend and straighten your knee. You will often feel like your knee is locking, causing funny noises like cracking.
High quantity of physical activity, age, gender, and having a history of osteoarthritis all go hand in glove when it comes to the risk of meniscal injuries. Overweight individuals and those with poor muscle strength or leg deformities are also at higher risk.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapy can help you manage your meniscus injury. It can reduce pain, improve physical function, and facilitate a return to sports activities. Therapists create individualised programs to support recovery.
What Sports Therapy Might Include
- Passive Motion
- Early Weight Bearing
- Cryotherapy
- Supervised Rehabilitation
- Therapeutic Exercises: Weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing exercises to increase thigh muscle strength and performance.
- Neuromuscular Re-Education: Training to improve knee stability and movement coordination.
Contact us today if you’re experiencing knee pain or a meniscus injury. Our expert sports therapists can help you recover and get back to your active lifestyle.
Understanding Knee Tendonitis
Knee tendonitis, commonly referred to as “jumper’s knee,” is a condition characterised by tendon inflammation that links the quadriceps muscle to the tibia bone.
This issue frequently arises in athletes who participate in activities that require frequent jumping, running, or quick directional changes.
The quadriceps tendon spans the kneecap, while the patellar ligament attaches to the tibia beneath it. Improper joint movements, poor posture, and weak surrounding muscles can trigger inflammation in this region.
Individuals suffering from knee tendonitis often report pain, swelling, and stiffness, particularly when bending or extending the knee. Athletes, especially those involved in sports such as basketball, volleyball, and track and field, are at an increased risk of developing knee tendonitis due to the repetitive strain on the tendon, leading to microtears and inflammation. Over time, this results in discomfort during activities like squatting or kneeling.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapy works well to treat knee tendonitis. It tackles the root causes of faulty movement, muscle imbalances, and joint misalignment. Our skilled sports therapists look at how you move and devise a plan to ease your symptoms, make your joint work better, and build up your strength again.
What Therapy Might Include
- Pain Relief Modalities like Cryotherapy
- Hands-On Therapy
- Strengthening Exercises
- Stretching Programs
- Postural Correction
- Education and Prevention
Knee tendonitis shouldn’t keep you from doing your favourite sports or activities. Get in touch with us now to find out how our sports therapists can help you bounce back and minimise pain.
Understanding Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear Injuries
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is crucial for knee stability, preventing the tibia from sliding too far forward on the femur.
ACL injuries often occur in sports. These injuries can be sprains or complete ruptures. A sprain involves the ligament being overstretched, leading to pain, swelling, and a feeling of instability. Sprains are graded from 1 to 3, with grades 1 and 2 being less severe and typically treatable without surgery. Grade 3 involves a complete tear and usually requires surgical intervention.
Sports with high risks for ACL injuries include soccer, basketball, football, and skiing. These sports involve rapid changes in direction, jumping, and sudden stops. The primary mechanism of an ACL injury is often a sudden pivot or twist of the knee, coupled with the foot remaining stationary. This motion can overstretch or tear the ligament, resulting in significant knee instability.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapy plays a crucial role in managing ACL injuries. Sports therapists assess knee stability, manage pain, reduce swelling, and create personalised rehabilitation plans to restore function and strength.
Therapy might includes:
- Assessment of Knee Stability
- Pain and Swelling Management
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Strengthening and Stability Exercises
- Gradual return to sports
If you are experiencing a knee sprain or strain, contact us today. Our expert sports therapists are ready to help you regain strength and stability.
Understanding Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tear Injuries
The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is essential for knee stability, preventing the tibia from sliding backwards on the femur. It commonly occurs during sports or as a result of accidents, representing 3% to 20% of all knee ligamentous injuries. If the PCL injury is isolated, it will most likely be treated without surgery, depending on the grade. However, surgical treatment is more appropriate when other injuries are combined, which is common. Your surgeon will tell.
These injuries can be sprains or complete ruptures. A sprain means the ligament is overstretched but still intact, causing pain, swelling, and instability. Sprains are graded from 1 to 3, with grades 1 and 2 typically treatable without surgery. Grade 3 involves a complete tear and usually requires surgical intervention.
Sports with high risks for PCL injuries include football, soccer, and skiing. These sports involve high-speed, sudden stops, and directional changes. The primary mechanism of a PCL injury is often a direct blow to the front of the knee, and when the knee is bent, the tibia moves backwards excessively. This motion can overstretch or tear the ligament, resulting in significant knee instability.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapy can help you manage PCL injuries. Sports therapists assess knee stability, manage pain, reduce swelling, and create personalised rehabilitation plans to restore function and strength.
Therapy Components
- Assessment of Knee Stability
- Pain and Swelling Management
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Strengthening and Stability Exercises
- Gradual Return to Sports
If you are experiencing a knee sprain or strain, contact us today. Our expert sports therapists are ready to help you regain strength and stability.
Understanding Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Tears
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) provides knee stability mainly as a static stabiliser on the medial side of the knee, protecting the knee from valgus stresses, rotational forces, and anterior tibial translation. MCL injuries are most common in sports or when one falls; the main mechanism is when someone blows to the outside of your bending knee while the foot is planted.
Most often, a tear in the MCL is accompanied by damage to the medial meniscus but can also affect other knee ligaments such as ACL and PCL.
MCL injuries form the majority of ligamentous injuries and up to around 40% of all knee injuries. Many minor MCL tears likely go unreported. In the athletic population, MCL tears comprised 7.9% of all knee injuries.
A sprain is where the ligament has been overstretched but remains intact, which causes pain, swelling, and laxity. The sprain is graded I to III, with grades I and II usually treatable without surgery, while grade III usually requires surgery.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapists will assess the stability of your knee, control pain and swelling, and develop an individualised rehabilitation program to restore function and strength.
Treatment Components
- Knee Stability Assessment
- Pain and Swelling Control
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Strengthening and Stability Exercises
- Gradual Sports Relaunch
Get in touch if you are facing a knee sprain or strain. Our sports therapists will assist you to recover strength and stability.
Understanding Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Injuries
The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) plays a crucial role in knee stability, helping control the side-to-side motion of the femur on the tibia. LCL injuries are commonly seen in sports or after falls, particularly when there is an impact on the inside of the knee while the foot remains planted.
As the primary varus stabiliser of the tibiofemoral joint, diagnosing LCL injuries can be challenging, especially when multiple ligament injuries are present.
An LCL injury can vary in severity, from a sprain where the ligament is overstretched but remains intact to a complete rupture. Sprains result in pain, swelling, and instability and are classified from grade 1 to grade 3. Grades 1 and 2 typically do not require surgery, while grade 3 often necessitates surgical intervention.
In the case of a sprain, the ligament is overstretched, causing micro-tearing that leads to pain and inflammation. Due to limited blood supply, ligament healing can be slow. The severity of the sprain and the joint’s stability can influence the risk of future injury.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapists are trained to evaluate knee stability, manage pain, reduce swelling, and develop tailored rehabilitation plans to restore strength and function.
Therapy Components:
- Knee Stability Assessment
- Pain and Swelling Management
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Strengthening and Stability Exercises
- Return to Sports
If you’re dealing with a knee sprain or strain, reach out to us today. Our expert sports therapists are prepared to assist you in regaining strength and stability.
Understanding Knee Pain
The knee, the body’s most complex joint, supports our weight while moving. It has an incredible range of 130 degrees and is a mirable biomechanical structure. When running, your knee endures forces up to six times your body weight. Over a lifetime, the average person takes around 216 million steps and walks 108,000 miles, leading the knee to be damaged and, consequently, pain.
Most knee pain arises from losing small movements like sliding side-to-side, back and forth, and rotating. Without regular stretching and activity, tissues around the knee tighten, and weak muscles in the front or back can cause abnormal joint forces.
Athletes commonly experience knee pain, often linked to their sports activities’ type, amount, and duration. Overuse injuries, resulting from repetitive stress on musculoskeletal structures, are the primary cause. Factors include sudden increases in physical activity, poor conditioning, inadequate training techniques, and improper equipment.
Young athletes may develop acute or gradual onset anterior knee pain, worsened by prolonged sitting, stair climbing, and squatting. This pain can reduce sports performance and may require medical attention if persistent.
How Sports Therapy Helps
Sports therapists can assist you in recovering from sports injuries, tight muscles, or altered joint mechanics. We use hands-on techniques to enhance knee joint mobility and alleviate pain and modalities to help you reduce swelling and pain. Specific exercises improve leg strength and address muscle imbalances contributing to knee pain.
Contact us today to learn how we can effectively and swiftly relieve your knee pain!
Understanding Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS)
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is a common cause of anterior knee pain, particularly affecting young female athletes. Unlike other knee conditions, PFPS usually occurs without structural changes.
The development of PFPS is multifactorial, often linked to various functional disorders of the lower extremity. Several key factors contribute to PFPS, such as misalignment during knee movement, often due to weak hip abductors or abnormal foot positioning, muscle imbalances or previous knee injuries.
Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is localised pain at the front of the knee, affecting 11-17% of patients. PFPS is commonly triggered by activities that load the patella, such as Ascending or descending stairs, Jumping, Running or Squatting. Besides pain, other symptoms can include a crackling sensation (crepitus) and mild to moderate swelling (effusion).
PFP frequently affects running and jumping athletes. Studies indicate that about 25% of recreational athletes with PFP may quit sports due to knee pain. In a study of 810 adolescent basketball players, 25% experienced PFP, with a higher prevalence in females (26%) than males (18%).
Structural damage to the joint, sometimes associated with PFPS, includes cartilage damage, osteoarthritis, overuse injuries (tendonitis and insertional tendinosis), and patellar instability.
How Sports Therapy Can Help
Sports therapy can help you manage PFPS. Sports therapists assess knee stability, manage pain, reduce swelling, and create personalised rehabilitation plans to restore function and strength.
Therapy Components
- Assessment of Knee Stability
- Pain and Swelling Management
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Strengthening and Stability Exercises
- Gradual Return to Sports
If you are experiencing knee pain or strain, contact us today. Our expert sports therapists are ready to help you regain strength and stability.
