About Knee Pain
The knee is the one of the most complex joints in the body. It has to bear the weight of the body while moving through an incredible range of 130 degrees of motion. When running the knee absorbs up to six times the weight of your body in force! In a lifetime, it is estimated that the average person will take over 216 million steps and walk 108,000 miles. With this amount of use, at times things can become injured and lead to knee pain.
Knee pain can stems from the loss of what is called “accessory motions”. Accessory motions are the knee’s smaller movements that are sliding side-to-side, back and forth as well as spinning and rotating. Without consistent movement, the tissues around the knee can become tight. In addition, if the muscles in the front or back of the knee become weaker, that can lead to more abnormal forces on the knee joint. All of these problems lead to increased friction and wear on the knee. The normal response is one of inflammation that can be felt as pain in and around the knee.
How physical therapy helps:
Physical therapy is one of the most important treatments for knee pain. Whether it is from a sports injury, tight musculature, altered joint mechanics, or arthritis, we can help!
The first step is to pinpoint the exact mechanism of why your knee pain is occurring. We perform a thorough evaluation of your posture, knee motion, hip, knee, and ankle strength, walking analysis and joint mobility. From this we can discover the main reason for your knee pain and formulate an effective treatment plan.
Our physical therapists perform hands-on therapy to improve your knee joint mobility, reducing pain. Modalities such as ultrasound may be used to reduce swelling and pain. Specific exercises will be performed to enhance your leg strength and address any muscle imbalances that are contributing to your knee pain. Other treatments that can help with knee pain include cupping and dry needling. Call Bay State Physical Therapy today to find out how we can quickly and effectively alleviate your knee pain!
