Knee injuries All Saints Village, MO. The knee is a versatile joint that permits our bodies to execute a wide range of motions like sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, jumping and more. Experiencing a knee injury makes walking and many other basic activities painful or even impossible. If you’ve recently suffered a knee injury or suffer from chronic knee pain, it is important to find first-rate physical therapy with licensed physical therapists in the All Saints Village, MO area. At Axes Physical Therapy, we provide safe and effective care to hundreds of patients in the All Saints Village, MO area. Contact us today to find out more or schedule your first appointment.

Axes Physical Therapy provides individually tailored, evidence-based analysis and therapy for people with knee injuries in All Saints Village, MO. Our knee injury experts specialize in personalized treatment plans designed specifically for your condition, needs and movement goals. Axes Physical Therapy is a network of physical therapy experts at various locations, each owned and operated by physical therapists. We are devoted to serving the specifical needs of each All Saints Village, MO resident we treat.

The Human Knee

The knee is one of the biggest and most complex joints in the body. It connects the tibia (shin bone) to the femur (thigh bone). The fibula (the small bone that runs next to the tibia) and patella (kneecap) are the other bones that make up the knee joint. Encircling the knee are leg muscles, which are responsible for the knee’s movements, and tendons and ligaments that connect the knee bones to the leg muscles or ligaments which give support and stability. These ligaments include the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), which provide stability to the front and back of the knee, and the medial and lateral collateral ligaments (MCL and LCL), which stabilize side-to-side movement. The medial and lateral menisci behave like shock absorbers between the tibia and femur.

Owing to the complexity of the joint and the strain placed on the knee, with bones, tendons, and ligaments that can be torn, fractured, sprained, or dislocated, knee injuries are one of the most typical musculoskeletal injuries that are suffered. If you’ve experienced a knee injury or are dealing with chronic knee pain, you need the attention and careful treatment of All Saints Village, MO area physical therapists. Our team of professional therapists who specialize in treating knee injuries will guide you in your recovery and help you regain full mobility of your injured knee.

Types of Knee Injuries and Common Causes

Knee sprains can be painful knee injuries that take place when ligaments in the knee are torn or overstretched. Knee sprains are painful, and if untreated or treated inadequately can lead to chronic problems, including arthritis. Knee sprains are usually the result of acute twisting injuries, or occur when an outside force stretches or tears a ligament. It is usually a sports related injury that comes from force, such as a knock to the front or outside of the knee. Furthermore, non contact knee sprains are very typical and result from weakness, muscle fatigue or poor technique. Symptoms include:

• Swelling
• Weakness or tenderness
• Pain and stiffness
• Popping
• Muscle Spasms

Torn cartilage can frequently happen in tandem with sprains, and happen when damage to the knee tears the menisci. It’s most often the result of forcefully twisting or rotating your knee and is common in contact sports such as football, as well as sports like soccer or baseball with repeated leaping and rotating/pivoting. In older adults, a cartilage tear in the knee can occur with little or no external force as the knee cartilage loses flexibility and pliability with age. Symptoms include:

• Soreness when training or exercising
• Buckling or locking of the knee joint
• Crunching or popping noises when walking
• Difficulty bearing weight
• Inability to flex or extend the knee

Patellar Tendonitis, also known as “jumper’s knee,” is caused by inflammation of the tendons in the knee, specifically the quadriceps tendon. Anterior knee pain is usually the main symptom of this variety of knee injury, and at first it may only occur when working out or exercising. It frequently stems from overuse. Over time, the pain increases and starts to make exercising or playing sports more difficult. If untreated, after a while you could have difficulty climbing stairs or even rising from a chair. That’s why it’s vital to receive physical therapy for knee injuries.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a knee injury that worsens with time and causes pain felt in the front of the knee. The pain is caused by tracking and alignment issues between the patella and femur and is commonly experienced climbing stairs or getting up from a chair. The exact cause is not understood yet; however, most physicians and physical and occupational therapists suspect these knee injuries happen because of general overuse and weakness of the quadriceps muscle and inflexibility of other hip and knee musculature.

Fractures are an extremely painful category of knee injuries and require emergency medical care. More complicated fractures can necesitate surgery to repair the knee and return functionality. There are three common knee injuries related to fractures:

• Patellar: a fracture of the kneecap that often happens when you fall exactly on your knee, hit the dashboard in a auto crash or suffer another kind of extreme external force to the knee. Symptoms include:
  • Pain, swelling, and bruising
  • Inability to straighten the knee or keep it keep it
  • Inability to walk
• Distal Femur: takes place where the thigh bone and knee connect. The bone might shatter or may break straight across. Distal femoral knee injuries frequently also damage the cartilage in the knee, which makes them hard to treat. They typically occur in the elderly whose bones have become weaker, or to people in high energy impact collisions. Symptoms include:
  • Pain when putting weight on the knee
  • Inflammation, bruising, and tenderness
  • The leg may look shorter and contorted
• Proximal Tibia: often injure the soft tissue of the knee as well. The top of the tibia, where it meets the knee, is softer than the rest of the bone. These knee injuries frequently occur when the femur is forced by trauma into the soft bone at the top of the tibia. Proximal tibia knee injuries are sometimes minor breaks that occur from too much activity, but most are the result of trauma from falling, sports injuries or auto accidents. Symptoms include:
  • inflammation surrounding the knee
  • Visually evident deformity or misalignment
  • Lack of feeling or warmth in the foot, as the flow of blood to the foot could be affected

Dislocation of the knee or kneecap can either occur when the femur and tibia are pushed out of alignment, or when the patella is forced out of place. These are frequently caused by extreme force from sports, car accidents or falls. People with a somewhat atypical structure of the knee are at a higher risk of patellar dislocation knee injuries. While a All Saints Village, MO doctor will be able to put the knee or kneecap back in place, treatment by a physical therapist will be an important facet of the recovery process to reduce swelling, slowly increase movement and increase strength in the hip and leg musculature.

ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL Injuries can be either tears or sprains. ACL injuries can often take place in high-energy sports where players are landing after jumping or changing direction quickly. The PCL can often be torn when there is trauma to the front of the knee as it is bent. Symptoms of these knee injuries include inflammation and knee instability. While ACL tears are frequently accompanied by injury to other parts of the knee, by themselves they are not always painful. MCL and LCL tears occur when there is blunt force that pushes the knee sideways.

Diagnoses and Tests

It is important to receive appropriate immediate and long-term care after suffering a knee injury. The treatment you receive can account for either quick and effective recovery or a lifetime of chronic, debilitating pain. In regards to knee injuries that cause clear and major trauma, such as a dislocated patella, tests may not be required and a All Saints Village, MO ER doctor will work to stabilize the knee as quickly as possible. Other methods of diagnosis for knee injuries are:

• A physical examination. A All Saints Village, MO medical professional can evaluate the appearance and movement of your knee while checking for inflammation or tenderness. Our physical therapists are specialists in human motion and carry out free, no obligation injury evaluations for your knee injuries and other injuries.
• X-Rays can reveal bone fractures and degenerative joint disease.
• CT scans combine X-rays from various angles to make cross-sectional images of your knee. They can help reveal knee injuries such as subtle fractures.
• Ultrasounds use sound waves to produce images of the soft tissue in your knee. Your doctor may rotate and extend your knee into different positions to look for specific issues.
• MRIs create 3D images of the inside of your knee. This test is often used to show soft tissue injuries, such as ACL tears or patellar tendonitis.

If you are suffering from pain caused by a knee injury, contact Axes Physical Therapy to work with a All Saints Village, MO physical therapist who specializes in knee injuries. Your knee injury therapist will analyze your movement, your mobility, and will also monitor the strength of your knee and its stability. After diagnosis, your Axes physical therapist in All Saints Village, MO County will recommend a bespoke treatment plan, which might include follow-up with a All Saints Village, MO orthopedic or sports physician.

Treatments and Therapy

Minor knee injuries can often heal with the RICE Method: rest, ice, gentle compression, and elevation. If you are experiencing pain, you need to rest and to temporarily stop any activity you think may have led to your injury. Get medical attention if you hear a popping noise or feel loss of stability at the time of your injury, if you experience severe pain or swelling, are unable to move the knee, or cannot bear weight without pain. With some serious knee injuries, such as ACL tears or bone fractures, surgery is required to correct the structure of the knee and return functionality. Physical therapy will then be part of your preoperative and postoperative treatment plan. A All Saints Village, MO physical therapist who specializes knee injuries will help you safely restore movement and strength in your knee as you recover. Typical therapies for knee injuries are (depending on your injury):

• Stretches and strengthening exercises of the entire leg and hip
• Core strengthening
• Ice and heat
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Electrical stimulation
• Proprioceptive exercises
• Functional return to sports, activity, and exercises

At Axes Physical Therapy, our treatment plans are founded on proven treatment strategies and are tailored specifically for each patient. We guide you in your recuperation to safely get you back to the activities you love.

We treat a wide variety of conditions and complaints and have a team of specialists ready to help you. Some of our other services are:

• Sports Injury
• Work Injury Rehabilitation
• Physical Therapist Near Me
• Neck Pain
• Occupational Therapy
• Low Back Pain
• Free Injury Screening

Receive Physical Therapy for Knee Injuries

If you are suffering from knee pain or have recently sustained a knee injury, you require the specialized advice of All Saints Village, MO physical therapists to eliminate your pain and get you back to full motion. Axes Physical Therapy will help you get back to the sports and activities you love with the devoted, customized care of your Axes physical therapist. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or discover the knee injury treatment location nearest you.