Case Study in Knee Pain Relief
This x-ray image shows a patient’s knee pre- and post- physical therapy. The image on the left was taken prior to starting physical therapy. The image on the right was taken after participating in a 4-6 week physical therapy program with the patient reporting knee pain relief. The triangular shaped bone at the top of the image is the patella. It is clear to see that the patella is not located in the same position in both images. The patella appears to be making contact with the femur bone in the left image whereas there is a clear space between the patella and femur on the right. The image on the left is associated with knee pain, whereas the image on the right represents optimal alignment.
How Did We Achieve Knee Pain Relief for this Patient?
Physical therapy is your top non-invasive, conservative care option when seeking knee pain relief. For many patients, muscular weakness and soft tissue restrictions lead to misalignment of the patella. The result is pain and knee crepitus, that grinding sound and crunchy feeling often experienced with an arthritic joint. In this case, we utilized a program of therapeutic exercise and manual therapy to help restore the normal biomechanics of the knee.
Therapeutic exercise is used to regain strength in the surrounding knee musculature. A stronger knee reduces stress on the underlying bone and ligaments that form the knee joint. In addition, therapeutic exercise improves the health of the knee joint by increasing vascular flow and purging inflammatory substances. Our therapists are well equipped with state of the art equipment including the AlterG treadmill, Corestix, and Pilates to help you regain strength. Our Doctors of Physical Therapy use their knowledge to teach you the right exercises to achieve knee pain relief without aggravating the underlying condition.
Our treatment approach for knee pain also utilizes myofascial release. Myofascial release uses the application of a gentle, sustained manual pressure to release soft tissue restrictions. Once the release of soft tissue restrictions is achieved, the patella is able to have an optimal alignment and freedom of movement. This is illustrated by the x-ray image.
Lastly, we utilize kinesiotaping to help reduce stress on the knee joint and to encourage normal joint biomechanics. Unlike traditional athletic taping, which is very restrictive, kinesiotaping allows much more movement of the joint while providing support. In addition, we teach you how to apply kinesiotape so you can continue to use this technique if you need it in the future so you can achieve your own knee pain relief.
Let Our Therapists Help You Achieve Your Goals
Give us a call today to make an appointment for a consultation with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy. We are ready to help you!