Knee injuries Maryland Heights, MO. The knee is a multifaceted joint that lets our bodies carry out a wide range of functional activities like sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, jumping and more. Sustaining a knee injury makes walking and a lot of other daily tasks painful or even impossible. If you’ve recently suffered a knee injury or experience chronic knee pain, it is important to find top-notch physical therapy with licensed physical therapists in the Maryland Heights, MO area. At Axes Physical Therapy, we provide safe and effective care to hundreds of patients in the Maryland Heights, MO area. Contact us today to find out more or schedule your first appointment.

Axes Physical Therapy provides customized, evidence-based evaluation and treatment for people with knee injuries in Maryland Heights, MO. Our knee injury experts specialize in custom tailored treatment plans created specifically for your injury, 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 dedicated to serving the individual needs of each Maryland Heights, MO resident we see.

The Human Knee

The knee is one of the biggest and most complex joints we have. It connects the tibia (shin bone) to the femur (thigh bone). The fibula (the small bone that runs on the side of the tibia) and patella (kneecap) are the other bones that make up the knee joint. Encircling the knee are leg muscles, which help move the knee, and tendons and ligaments that connect 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 to the front and back of the knee, and the medial and lateral collateral ligaments (MCL and LCL), which stabilize sideways movement. The medial and lateral menisci are shock absorbers between the tibia and femur.

Owing to the intricacy of the joint and the forces placed on the knee, with structures 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 living with chronic knee pain, you need the attention and careful treatment of Maryland Heights, MO area physical therapists. Our team of certified 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 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 improperly can cause chronic problems, including arthritis. Knee sprains are typically caused by acute twisting injuries, or occur when an external force stretches or tears a ligament. It is usually a sports related injury that comes from force, such as a hit to the front or outside of the knee. Additionally, non contact knee sprains are very typical and occur because of weakness, muscle fatigue or improper technique. Symptoms include:

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

Torn cartilage can frequently take place take place at the same time as sprains, and take place 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 continued jumping 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:

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

Patellar Tendonitis, also known as “jumper’s knee,” is caused by swelling 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, eventually you could have trouble climbing stairs or even getting up from a chair. That’s why it’s essential to receive 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 getting up from a chair. The specific cause is still unknown; 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 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 frequently occurs when you land directly on your knee, hit the dashboard in a auto accident or suffer another type of heavy blow to the knee. Symptoms include:
  • Pain, swelling, and bruising
  • Inability to extend the knee or keep it straight
  • Inability to walk
• Distal Femur: takes place where the thigh bone and knee meet. The bone may shatter or may suffer a clean fracture. Because distal femoral knee injuries can damage the cartilage in the knee, they can sometimes be more difficult 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 contorted
• Proximal Tibia: often damage 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 take place when the femur is forced by trauma into the soft bone at the top of the tibia. Proximal tibia knee injuries are occasionally minor breaks that occur from too much activity, but most happen because of falling, sports injuries or auto accidents. Symptoms include:
  • Swelling around the knee
  • Visually clear 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 happen when the femur and tibia are pushed out of alignment, or when the patella is pushed out of place. These are typically caused by extreme force from sports, car accidents or falls. People with a slightly unusual structure of the knee are at a heightened risk of patellar dislocation knee injuries. While a Maryland Heights, MO doctor can correct the dislocation, treatment by a physical therapist will be a vital part of the recovery process to reduce swelling, slowly improve motion and improve strength in the hip and leg musculature.

ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL Injuries can be both tears or sprains. ACL injuries can often occur in high-energy sports where players are landing after jumping or switching direction rapidly. 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 swelling and knee instability. While ACL tears are frequently accompanied by injury to other parts of the knee, ACL tears alone are not always painful. MCL and LCL tears occur when there is a hit that pushes the knee sideways.

Diagnoses and Tests

It is important to receive the correct immediate and long-term treatment after experiencing 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 clear and major trauma, such as a dislocated patella, tests may not be necessary and a Maryland Heights, 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 Maryland Heights, MO medical professional can evaluate the appearance and movement of your knee while looking for inflammation or tenderness. Our physical therapists are specialists in human motion and provide free, no obligation injury evaluations for your knee injuries and other injuries.
• X-Rays can show broken bones and degenerative joint disease.
• CT scans combine X-rays from varying angles to create 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 rotate and extend your knee at different angles to look for specific issues.
• MRIs create 3D pictures of the inside of your knee. This test is frequently used to detect soft tissue injuries, such as ACL tears or patellar tendonitis.

If you are dealing with pain caused by a knee injury, contact Axes Physical Therapy to work with a Maryland Heights, MO physical therapist who is an expert in knee injuries. Your knee injury therapist will evaluate your motion, your mobility, and will also investigate how strong and stable your knee is. After diagnosis, your Axes physical therapist in Maryland Heights, MO County will recommend a customized treatment plan, which might include follow-up with a Maryland Heights, MO orthopedic or sports physician.

Treatments and Therapy

Small knee injuries can be treated using the RICE Method: rest, ice, gentle compression, and elevation. If you feel pain, it’s important to rest and to momentarily cease any activity you think may have resulted in your injury. Get medical attention if you hear a popping noise or feel loss of stability when your injury first occurs, 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 Maryland Heights, MO physical therapist who treats knee injuries will put you on the path to safely restore motion and strength to your knee as your injury heals. Common therapies for knee injuries are (depending on your injury):

• Stretches and strengthening exercises of the entire lower extremity
• 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 return you 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 suffering from knee pain or have recently sustained a knee injury, you need the specialized advice of Maryland Heights, MO physical therapists to eliminate your pain and return you to full mobility. Axes Physical Therapy will help you get back to the sports and activities you love with the committed, customized care of your Axes physical therapist. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or find out the knee injury treatment location nearest you.