Do you have pain in your knee? Are you sick of it preventing you from playing your favorite sport, doing work around the yard, or anything else that you’ve always been able to do but have been struggling with recently? Trust me when I say, I’ve been there and know that feeling!
Just a few years ago while I was going through physical therapy school I got back into playing fairly competitive soccer and soon began to have knee pain. For a few weeks I kind of pushed through the pain and figured that it would kind of just magically go away…maybe some of you can relate to that as well. But, this didn’t happen so I decided to actually do something about it. Thankfully for me, my PT education and being surrounded by other physical therapists and physical therapy students helped me get over my trouble within about 4-6 weeks once I began dealing with it in a consistent manner.
How common is knee pain?
Knee pain isn’t that uncommon, in fact 25% of Americans report having knee pain at some point (Mulcahy, 2021). Among runners, the knee is an often injured body part (Mulcahy, 2021). But just because it’s common does not mean you have to suffer from it and limit yourself from participating in the things you love. A qualified physical therapist can help you get over your troubles.
“But if I rest, it will fix itself right?”
Going back to the idea of waiting for the knee pain to magically go away. While this occasionally does happen. More often than not, the longer you wait to get help the worse your knee may become. You also run the risk of compensating, changing the way you walk and move because of knee pain which in turn could start to affect other joints like your foot/ankle or hip and lower back. So if you’ve noticed you’re starting to change the way you move to avoid pain, that is a sign that you should get seen by a physical therapist.
How about heat, or ice and pain medication?
Maybe you’re able to deal with it with pain killers or by using heat or ice. Awesome! We are glad that you have some relief of pain through these methods but also want to warn you that they just mask the pain. Through physical therapy you can get a better understanding of the root cause of the pain and deal with it to help cut down on your dependence on painkillers and other short term fixes.
Causes:
Knee pain happens due to various reasons. It may be the result of many factors building up and often occurs due to overuse. Years of certain activities can change the cartilage and other structures of the knee and contribute to arthritis in people over the age of 50. But knee pain often affects younger people and children too, especially during growth spurt related body changes (Mulcahy, 2021). Or maybe you got injured and had to have ligament repair surgery or had a total knee replacement.
How to fix it:
Whatever your age or the cause of your suffering, it may interfere with the ability to participate in activities of daily living, physical activities and sports but the good news is that doesn’t have to be the case. At Peterson PT we have a team of therapists who can help you get over this problem. If you or someone you know has been suffering from knee pain that is stopping you from doing things you enjoy then give us a call and let us help you get back to living your life to the fullest!
Watch this space:
Over the next few weeks we will also be sharing a few tips/videos to help you get a better understanding of common issues and exercises to help with knee pain.
References:
Mulcahy, J. A. (2021, August 26). GUIDE: Physical therapy guide to knee pain. Choose PT. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-knee-pain
