What is knee pain?
Knee pain is pain that arises from the structures of the knee. These structures include joint, muscle, ligament, nerve, and bone.
What causes knee pain?
Knee pain is a result of damage to the structures of the knee. The most common cause of knee pain is due to repetitive overuse, overloading of the structures in the knee, or complex forceful and quick movements like pivoting/twisting and direct trauma. Repetitive loading occurs with simple non-painful movements. Constant repetition of these movements leads to damage and eventual failure of the structures in the knee, leading to knee pain and tissue inflammation.
Where is knee pain felt?
Knee pain is felt over the structure that has been damaged. Therefore, if you injured a structure that is at the front of the knee, your pain will often be felt more towards the front of the knee. If you injured a structure inside the knee, like your ACL, the pain will be more vague but also felt more at the front of the knee. Knee pain can also be referred from the lower back, and hips. Knee pain is commonly described as a dull or strong ache and felt over the affected structure. In more severe cases, the pain can be sharp, shooting, and associated with significant joint swelling. This will result in the significant restriction in movement available at the knee and made worse with simple movements that require loading the knee, like walking.
What should I do?
If you have knee pain due to trauma/accident you should consult your doctor/emergency department immediately to ensure it is nothing more serious. Otherwise, if you have knee pain you need to consult our professional therapists for an appropriate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. By treating your problem immediately, you decrease the chances of having any long-term effects and benefit from a quicker recovery. If poorly managed you do increase the risk of the problem becoming chronic and requiring long-term treatment.
What should I not do?
f you have knee pain, you should not ignore the problem and continue to participate in activities that aggravate your problem. This may lead to the problem increasing in severity resulting in other regions being affected by altered movement patterns to avoid pain and ultimately result in a prolonged recovery.
What is the treatment and management of knee pain?
Appropriate treatment and management require prompt assessment and diagnosis of the problem. This may require a referral for diagnostic imaging such as x-ray or MRI. Once a working diagnosis has been established, treatment will commence to reduce your pain and inflammation. Once your pain has settled, a rehabilitation and management program will be given to help you take control of your problem. With your participation, the treatment and rehabilitation program will help get you back to your daily activities and reduce the chances of your knee pain re-occurring.
Other conditions related to the knee that we can also help you with include:
- Patello-Femoral Joint Syndrome
- Meniscal Tears
- Anterior Ligament (ACL) Tears
- Quadriceps Insertional Tendinopathy
- Medial Ligament Sprain
- Patella Tendinopathy
- Patella Dislocations
- Patella Tracking Issues
- Quadriceps Muscle Strain
- Anterior Knee Pain
- Hamstring Muscle Strains & Tears
- Adductor (Groin) Muscle strains and tears
- Jumper’s Knee
- Osgood Schlatter’s Disease
- Runner’s Knee
- Pes Anserine Bursitis
- Post Surgical Rehabilitation
- Post Fracture Rehabilitation
- ITB Friction Syndrome
- Total Knee Replacements
- Osteoarthritis of the Knee