Knee injuries Grantwood Village, MO. The knee is a versatile joint that lets our bodies carry out a vast scope of motions like sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, jumping and more. Suffering a knee injury makes walking and many other basic activities painful or even impossible. If you’ve recently sustained a knee injury or suffer from chronic knee pain, it is important to find quality physical therapy with licensed physical therapists in the Grantwood Village, MO area. At Axes Physical Therapy, we give safe and effective care to hundreds of Grantwood Village, MO residents. Contact us today to find out more or schedule your first appointment.

Axes Physical Therapy provides individually tailored, evidence-based analysis and therapy for those with knee injuries in Grantwood Village, MO. Our knee injury experts specialize in custom tailored treatment plans made specifically for your injury, needs and movement goals. As a network of physical therapy facilities locally owned and operated by Grantwood Village, MO physical therapists, Axes Physical Therapy is committed to serving the individual needs of each Grantwood Village, MO patient we see.

The Human Knee

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints we have. It joins 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 comprise the knee joint. Surrounding the knee are leg muscles, which help move the knee, and tendons and ligaments that join the knee bones to the leg muscles or ligaments which provide support and stability. These ligaments include the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), which provide stability in front of and behind the knee, and the medial and lateral collateral ligaments (MCL and LCL), which stabilize side-to-side movement. The medial and lateral menisci are shock absorbers between the tibia and femur.

Because of the complexity of the joint and the forces placed on the knee, with elements that can be torn, fractured, sprained, or dislocated, knee injuries are one of the most typical musculoskeletal injuries that are suffered. If you’ve suffered a knee injury or are experiencing chronic knee pain, you need the care and careful treatment of Grantwood Village, MO area physical therapists. Our team of professional therapists who are highly knowledgeable when treating knee injuries will lead you in your rehabilitation and help you regain complete mobility of your injured knee.

Types of Knee Injuries and Common Causes

Knee sprains are knee injuries that can hurt a lot, and they take place when ligaments in the knee are torn or overstretched. Knee sprains are painful, and if untreated or cared for poorly can cause chronic problems, including arthritis. Knee sprains are commonly caused by 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 blow to the front or outside of the knee. Furthermore, non contact knee sprains are very typical and are caused by weakness, muscle fatigue or incorrect technique. Symptoms include:

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

Torn cartilage can frequently occur in tandem with sprains, and take place when trauma to the knee tears the menisci. It’s typically caused by forcefully twisting or rotating your knee and is often seen 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 trauma 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 straighten the knee

Patellar Tendonitis, also called “jumper’s knee,” is a result of swelling of the tendons in the knee, specifically the quadriceps tendon. Anterior knee pain is usually the main symptom of this category of knee injury, and initially it may only occur when working out or exercising. It is also frequently an overuse injury. Over time, the pain worsens and starts to make exercising or playing sports more difficult. If unattended, eventually you could find it difficult to climb stairs or even get up from from a chair. That’s why it’s important to seek out physical therapy for knee injuries.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a knee injury marked by pain that is generally felt in the front of the knee and worsens as time goes on. The pain is a result of tracking and alignment problems between the patella and femur and is often experienced climbing stairs or rising from a chair. The exact cause is not understood yet; however, most doctors and physical and occupational therapists think these knee injuries occur because of general overuse and weakness of the quadriceps muscle and inflexibility of other hip and knee musculature.

Fractures are an extremely painful of of knee injuries and need urgent medical attention. More destructive fractures can need surgery to repair the knee and return functionality. There are three common knee injuries related to fractures:

• Patellar: a fracture of the kneecap that frequently happens when you fall precisely on your knee, hit the dashboard in a car accident or experience another kind of heavy blow to the knee. Symptoms include:
  • Pain, swelling, and bruising
  • Inability to straighten the knee or keep it straight
  • Inability to walk
• Distal Femur: takes place where the thigh bone and knee connect. The bone can shatter or might suffer a clean break. Because distal femoral knee injuries can damage the cartilage in the knee, they can sometimes be harder to treat. They most often occur in the elderly as their bones weaken, or to people in high energy impact collisions. Symptoms include:
  • Pain when placing weight on the knee
  • Swelling, bruising, and tenderness
  • The leg may look shorter and crooked
• Proximal Tibia: often injure the soft tissue of the knee as well. The top of the tibia, where it connects to the knee, is not as hard as the rest of the bone. These knee injuries often happen 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 happen because of falling, sports injuries or auto accidents. Symptoms include:
  • Swelling surrounding the knee
  • Visually apparent deformity or misalignment
  • Lack of feeling or warmth in the foot, as the flow of blood to the foot could be restricted

Dislocation of the knee or kneecap can either take place when the femur and tibia are forced 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 greater risk of patellar dislocation knee injuries. While a Grantwood Village, MO doctor will be able to put the knee or kneecap back in place, treatment by a physical therapist will be an important aspect of the rehabilitation process to reduce swelling, gradually improve motion 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 occur in high-energy sports where players are landing after jumping or switching direction quickly. The PCL can frequently be torn when there is trauma to the front of the knee as it is bent. Symptoms of these knee injuries include inflammation and lack of stability. While ACL tears are often accompanied by harm to other parts of the knee, by themselves they are often not painful. MCL and LCL tears occur when there is blunt force that pushes the knee sideways.

Diagnoses and Tests

It is vital to receive appropriate immediate and long-term care after sustaining a knee injury. The care you receive can be the difference between a swift and strong recovery or a lifetime of chronic, debilitating pain. In regards to knee injuries that cause apparent and serious trauma, such as a dislocated patella, tests may not be necessary and a Grantwood Village, MO ER doctor will endeavor to stabilize the knee as quickly as possible. Other methods of diagnosis for knee injuries are:

• A physical examination. A Grantwood 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 broken bones and degenerative joint disease.
• CT scans combine X-rays from different angles to produce cross-sectional images of your knee. They can help detect knee injuries such as subtle fractures.
• Ultrasounds use sound waves to make images of the soft tissue in your knee. Your doctor may move your knee at different angles to look for specific issues.
• MRIs create 3D pictures of the inside of your knee. This test is often used to detect soft tissue injuries, such as ACL tears or patellar tendonitis.

If you are experiencing pain caused by a knee injury, contact Axes Physical Therapy to work with a Grantwood Village, MO physical therapist who specializes in knee injuries. Your knee injury therapist will evaluate your movement, your mobility, and will also investigate the strength of your knee and its stability. After diagnosis, your Axes physical therapist in Grantwood Village, MO County will recommend a bespoke treatment plan, which might include follow-up with a Grantwood 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 feel pain, you need to rest and to momentarily cease 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 broken bones, surgery is required to correct the structure of the knee and make the knee functional again. Physical therapy will then be part of your preoperative and postoperative treatment plan. A Grantwood Village, MO physical therapist who treats knee injuries will help you safely restore movement and strength in your knee as your injury heals. Common 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 lead you in your recovery 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:

• Back Pain Treatment
• Neck Pain Treatment
• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Receive Physical Therapy for Knee Injuries

If you are experiencing knee pain or have recently experienced a knee injury, you need the expert advice of Grantwood Village, MO physical therapists to eliminate your pain and return you to full motion. Axes Physical Therapy will help you get back to the sports and activities you love with the committed, personalized care of your Axes physical therapist. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or discover the knee injury treatment location nearest you.