Knee Pain

Symptoms:

Knee pain, dull or sharp; Stiffness or difficulty moving knee; Swelling; Muscle soreness; Thigh pain; Calf pain; Knee joint painless or painful noise (crepitus) with movement; Limping; Giving way or buckling of leg; Knee joint locking.

Causes:

Knee pain typically occurs from physical injury, overuse injury, or from gradual accumulated “wear and tear” as seen in arthritis.  In the cases of gradual pain onset, frequently the presence of a mobility or muscle imbalance predisposed the individual to developing the knee pain.  Structural conditions of the feet or lower extremity structural asymmetry can contribute to gradual onset of knee pain as well.  Knee pain can originate from the knee joint itself, muscle, tendon, ligament, meniscus, iliotibial band, or bursa.  In some cases, one may experience referred pain into the knee region from a lumbar spine or sacroiliac joint condition, or localized knee pain from chemical or systemic conditions such as Gout or Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Related Conditions:

Knee joint arthritis; Osteoarthritis; Total knee arthroplasty; Meniscus tear; Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear; Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) tear; Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) tear; Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) tear; Patellofemoral Syndrome (“runner’s knee”); Chondromalacia; Iliotibial Band (IT band) Syndrome; Patellar tendinitis (“jumper’s knee”); Pes Anserine Tendinitis/Bursitis; Gout; Rheumatoid Arthritis.

How Renew Physical Therapy Can Help:

A thorough subjective evaluation and biomechanical examination will be completed at the time of each patient’s initial appointment, which will include assessing existing diagnostic imaging, ie. x-rays, MRI, or determining whether further diagnostic imaging should be recommended to the patient’s referring physician.  The structural and mechanical cause of the patient’s symptoms will be established, and an appropriate individualized treatment program addressing this root cause will be designed.  We will utilize therapeutic modalities, ie. cold/heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. We will also use specialized massage, mobilization, and taping techniques, as well as therapeutic stretching/strengthening exercises to restore pain-free function.  Patient education is paramount in eliminating and preventing the return of symptoms, which will include an individualized home self-mobilization and exercise program as well as behavioral modification strategies.