What we treat - Knee injuries and Pain Conditions

Located between the foot and the hip, the knee is influenced by both.

When our clients present with knee pain, their focus naturally lies with the knee joint, but effective treatment must also consider the other joints. We often observe that weakness of the muscles on the outside of the hip, tight hamstrings, heel cord contractures and flat feet, any or all, accompany knee injuries and pain conditions.

In our experience, several injury & pain presentations really stand out, as they account for the majority of reasons why our client’s seek help. These include:

• Acute sprain injuries, notably of the medial collateral ligament or anterior cruciate ligament and sometimes both ligaments. Medial meniscus injuries are also commonly seen. A severe injury presentation includes all three of these medially placed stabilizing structures.
• Repetitive strain injuries relating to poor alignment of the lower limb. Patellar tracking dysfunction and iliotibial (ITB) band are the most common of these injuries.
• Degenerative joint disease of the knee joint is perhaps the most common knee pain problem that we see. These clients often present for care following arthroscopic surgery, performed to stage the severity of joint damage, and preliminary to total knee joint replacement surgeries.
• Arthroscopic knee surgeries aren’t only to stage the severity of degeneration in a painful knee. The other big application is for chondromalacia patella.

As with other treatment plans at Avalon Laser Health, the fundamental and most important part of treatment is exercise based….exercises to correct alignment, to correct the timing and balance of muscles which control the nearby joints, to restore flexibility, strength and endurance. Proper care occurs over time. It is generally considered that three months is required to achieve muscle based goals, whether the goal is motor control or strengthening. Where both are necessary, it’s three months for each. Much of such a rehab effort is home or community based, but best results are achieved when you work with your physiotherapist across the duration of the treatment plan to modify exercises as needed to maintain progress momentum.

We use Laser Therapy for pain relief and to ensure complete healing, most needed at the beginning of a treatment plan. For those with arthritic changes in their knees, laser therapy may be beneficial deeper into the treatment plan.

Our clients often ask about braces or other means of knee support. Early swelling control and minor support is provided by Ace or other elastic bandage. Commercially available braces run the gamut, with respect to support. We recommend the online ‘The Physio Store’ to our clients. They specialize in braces and offer expert advice with respect to best choice. They offer a wide selection of high quality braces, with respect to choice and sizing.

One knee brace, useful across a wide range of applications, that we particularly like is pictured below…there are many others to choose from, worth checking out.

We have much to offer our clients with knee injuries and pain conditions. Please call to talk to a physiotherapist if you’ve questions about your injury or our care.