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Stark Rehabilitation

Services - Knee Pain - Florida

Knee pain

Overview

Knee pain is a widespread ailment and can affect people of all ages. However, it becomes more common as people age. Knee pain is usually not severe, and surgical intervention is rarely needed.

Also, there can be several reasons behind knee pain. A simple muscle strain to tendonitis to some type of arthritis, all are valid reasons behind knee pain. However, sometimes a specific reason behind knee pain cannot be found. 

Knee pain responds quite well to self-care measures. Physical therapy and knee braces also help in relieving knee pain. However, medical or surgical treatment can also be needed in more severe cases. 

 

The knee is the largest and the most vulnerable joint in the body. It bears a great deal of stress from regular activities such as lifting, kneeling, jogging, and aerobics. 

The knee is formed of four main components – bones, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons. 

Bones: The knee forms from three bones – the femur or thighbone, shinbone or tibia, and kneecap or patella.

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F.A.Q.

You can cure your knee pain without any medical help, only if it is a minor issue. When the pain is moderate to severe, you must consult a medical professional as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage.

Medical experts advise several knee pain treatment therapies for the cure. Three major knee pain therapy advantages include less knee pain, smoothing the knee joint, and improved knee movement.

Knee pain affects your everyday life by troubling your basic movements and activities, such as walking up stairs or sitting on the floor. Due to the glitch, you may not feel like participating in your favorite sports. 

Ligaments: These join bones with other bones.

They are rope-like structures that bind the bones and keep your knee in place. Four main ligaments in your knee area include.

Collateral ligaments – These ligaments control the sidewise movement of your knee. One is on the inside, and one is outside and is found on the sides of the knee joint.

Cruciate ligaments – These are located at the inside of your knee joint. The cruciate ligaments support the back and forth motion of the knee. They form an X shape by crossing each other.

Cartilage: Knee cartilages are of two types:

●  Articular cartilage – This acts as a covering for the ends of your thighbone, shinbone, and the back of the kneecap. Owing to its slippery surface, the knee bones slide smoothly across each other as you bend or straighten your leg. 

 Meniscus cartilage – These two wedge-shaped pieces absorb the shock between your shinbone and thighbone. The meniscus present on the inner side of the knee joint is called the medial meniscus, and the one on the outer side is called the lateral meniscus. 

Tendons: These connect the muscles around the knee area to the bones. 

Causes Behind Knee Pain

There can be a great many factors behind knee pain. Injuries, mechanical problems, different types of arthritis, and other issues.

Injuries

A knee injury can affect any ligament, tendons, or fluid-filled sacs (bursae) surrounding your knee joint. A knee injury can also affect the bones, cartilage, and ligaments forming the joint. Some of the common knee injuries that can give rise to knee pain include:

ACL Injury:

An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) gives rise to severe pain. ACL is one of the four ligaments that connect your shinbone to the thighbone. Usually, ACL injury is more common in people who play sports requiring sudden direction changes while moving, like basketball, soccer, or other sports.

Fractures:

Fractures on the knee bones can give rise to severe pain. People with osteoporosis are more vulnerable to knee fractures and can develop cracks even by stepping wrong.
Torn meniscus: The meniscus, the tough, rubbery cartilage sitting between the shinbone and the thighbone, can sometimes develop a tear and cause pain in your knee. A sudden knee twist is the primary cause of a torn meniscus.

Knee bursitis:

Some knee injuries cause an inflammation in the tiny sacs of fluid cushioning the outside of the knee joints called bursae.
Patellar tendinitis occurs when there is an injury to the patellar tendon.

Mechanical Problems

Some mechanical problems too can give rise to knee pain. The conditions include the following:
Loose body: Sometimes, injury of bone or cartilage can make a piece to break off and float in the joint space. When this loose body interferes with the free movement of the joint, it can cause significant pain.
Iliotibial band syndrome: When the tough band of tissue known as illiotibial band becomes hard, it can cause pain as the band rubs against the thighbone.

Dislocated kneecap:

This occurs when the triangular kneecap dislocates.
Hip or foot pain: Pain in your feet or hip can cause you to change how you walk, which can put even more stress on the knee joints and cause pain there.
Arthritis
Some types of arthritis too can cause knee pain. These include:
● Osteoarthritis
● Rheumatoid arthritis
● Gout
● Pseudogout
● Septic arthritis

Common Factors that Increase the Risk of Knee Pain

A number of factors increase the risk of developing knee pain. Knee pain is expected as one ages and bone density and strength decrease. Apart from that, these are the main factors that can give rise to knee pain in individuals.

Excess weight

Being overweight or obese increases the stress on the knees and can cause pain.
Lack of muscle strength: A lack of strength or flexibility increases the risk of knee injuries.
Specific occupations: Skiing, basketball, and other such sports require that you take quick and sudden turns, and thus, there is a high risk of forming a knee injury.
Previous injury: A prior knee injury increases the chances of forming knee pain again.

Preventing Knee Pain

Some preventive measures and a healthy lifestyle can keep knee pain away for a long time. These include:
Keeping the extra pounds off: Always maintain your body weight to the optimum based on height and weight. Doing such will reduce the stress on your knees and keep them healthy.
Be in shape for your sport: If you are a sportsperson, you must be in the right shape to play your sport without injury.

Get strong: Build strength and flexibility not only in your knees but also in other areas of your body to help keep injuries away.
Exercise smartly: If you have chronic knee pain, you must not over-exert yourself or lift heavy using your knee joint during exercises.

Treating Knee Pain

Lifestyle management and home remedies work well for knee pain. However, if these do not help your condition, you may need to visit a doctor to check your condition and get the proper treatment. Some standard and accessible treatment options include:

Heat/Ice Packs: Heat is a good cure for managing joint pain. However, you should not use it for any new injuries.
Ice packs can also be used to manage short-term knee pain.
Medication: Every medicinal treatment must be done under the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner. For immediate relief, you can use some OTC drugs like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy can help your knee pain, depending on your condition. A qualified physiotherapist, like the ones in Stark Rehabilitation, will prepare a specialized exercise chart tailored to your particular needs. Your physiotherapy treatment may include the following:
●Exercises for your specific condition.
●Taping of the kneecap, i.e., applying adhesive tape over the knee to change how it moves or sits.
●Knee braces: You can buy these from medical stores or sports shops. But let your physiotherapist guide you on whether or not you would need them because not all knee pain conditions can be cured using knee braces.

Founder

Kristin Hallberg

Kristin Hallberg is a Florida board and Swedish health authority certified Physical Therapist. She earned her Physical Therapy license from Uppsala University, Sweden, in 2013. After moving to Florida she also earned her Florida board license in 2016. Kristin has a particular interest in orthopedic and sports medicine. She has 10 years experience of treating a variety of injuries and post surgery recovery for low back, knees, shoulders, neck, hips, and feet.

Previously, Kristin was a track and field athlete and continued with coaching at Uppsala Track and Field High school when injuries stopped her fromcontinuing to pursuit her own journey. During this time she also sought out new experiences and pursuit taking skydiving license and open water diving certificate. She enjoys the outdoors and grew upskiing and hiking. Seeking new adventures has always been a part of her life and relates to the importancefor people to stay active with the lifestyle that makes them happy.

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