Knee injuries Paulina Hills, MO. The knee is a multifaceted joint that permits our bodies to accomplish a vast range of motions like sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, jumping and more. Experiencing a knee injury makes walking and a lot of other basic activities painful or even impossible. If you’ve recently suffered a knee injury or experience chronic knee pain, it is essential to find top-notch physical therapy with licensed physical therapists in the Paulina Hills, MO area. At Axes Physical Therapy, we provide safe and effective therapy to hundreds of Paulina Hills, 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 Paulina Hills, MO. Our knee injury experts specialize in personalized treatment plans implemented 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 committed to serving the individual needs of each Paulina Hills, MO patient we see.

The Human Knee

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. It joins the tibia (shin bone) to the femur (thigh bone). The fibula (the small bone that runs adjacent to the tibia) and patella (kneecap) are the other bones that constitute the knee joint. Around the knee 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 help stabilize the knee. These ligaments include the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), which give 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.

Because of the intricacy of the joint and the strain placed on the knee, with structures that can be torn, fractured, sprained, or dislocated, knee injuries are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries that are suffered. If you’ve sustained a knee injury or are dealing with chronic knee pain, you need the attention and careful treatment of Paulina Hills, MO area physical therapists. Our team of expert therapists who are highly knowledgeable when treating knee injuries will lead you in your recuperation 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 happen when ligaments in the knee are torn or overstretched. Knee sprains are painful, and if untreated or cared for inadequately can cause continued problems, including arthritis. Knee sprains are commonly the result of acute twisting injuries, or injuries the result of outside forces that stretch or tear 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 common 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 take place in tandem with sprains, and happen when damage to the knee tears the menisci. It’s most often caused by 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 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:

• Soreness when working out or exercising
• Buckling or locking of the knee joint
• Crunching or popping noises when walking
• Difficulty bearing weight
• Inability to bend or straighten the knee

Patellar Tendonitis, also called “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 initially it might only occur when training or exercising. It commonly stems from overuse. Over time, the pain worsens and starts to make exercising or playing sports more difficult. If unattended, after a while you could have difficulty climbing stairs or even rising 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 caused by tracking and alignment problems between the patella and femur and is commonly experienced climbing stairs or getting up from a chair. The specific cause is not understood yet; however, most physicians and physical and occupational therapists presume these knee injuries happen when the knee is overused, or there is weakness of the quadriceps muscle and inflexibility of other hip and knee musculature.

Fractures are a tremendously painful of of knee injuries and require emergency medical treatment. More destructive fractures can necesitate surgery to repair the knee and allow it to function normally again. There are three common knee injuries associated with fractures:

• Patellar: a fracture of the kneecap that typically takes place when you land directly on your knee, hit the dashboard in a auto crash or sustain another type of extreme external force to the knee. Symptoms include:
  • Pain, inflammation, 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 meet. The bone might shatter or might break straight across. Because distal femoral knee injuries can injure the cartilage in the knee, they can sometimes be harder to treat. They most often 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 aching
  • The leg may look shorter and bent
• Proximal Tibia: often harm the soft tissue of the knee as well. The top of the tibia, where it connects to 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 sometimes minor breaks that occur from excessive activity, but most happen because of falling, sports injuries or motor vehicle crashes. Symptoms include:
  • Swelling surrounding the knee
  • Visually obvious 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 forced out of alignment, or when the patella is pushed out of place. These are most often caused by extreme force from sports, car accidents or falls. People with a somewhat abnormal structure of the knee are at a heightened risk of patellar dislocation knee injuries. While a Paulina Hills, MO doctor can put the knee or kneecap back in place, treatment by a physical therapist will be an essential aspect of the recuperation process to reduce swelling, slowly increase motion and improve strength in the hip and leg musculature.

ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL Injuries can be either tears or sprains. ACL injuries can often happen in high-energy sports where players are landing after jumping or changing direction quickly. The PCL can frequently be torn when force is applied to the front of the knee as it is bent. Symptoms of these knee injuries include swelling and knee instability. While ACL tears are often accompanied by damage 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 the proper immediate and long-term treatment after experiencing a knee injury. The care you receive can account for either quick and effective recovery or a lifetime of chronic, debilitating pain. In regards to knee injuries involving noticeable and serious trauma, such as a dislocated patella, tests may not be necessary and a Paulina Hills, 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 Paulina Hills, MO medical professional can evaluate the appearance and movement of your knee while checking for swelling or tenderness. Our physical therapists are experts 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 various angles to build cross-sectional images of your knee. They can help reveal 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 into different positions to look for specific issues.
• MRIs create 3D pictures of the inside of your knee. This test is frequently implemented to reveal 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 Paulina Hills, MO physical therapist who is an expert in knee injuries. Your knee injury therapist will evaluate your motion, your mobility, and will also monitor the strength of your knee and its stability. After diagnosis, your Axes physical therapist in Paulina Hills, MO County will recommend a bespoke treatment plan, which could include follow-up with a Paulina Hills, 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 temporarily stop any activity you think may have caused your injury. Seek 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 bone fractures, surgery is necessary 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 Paulina Hills, MO physical therapist who treats knee injuries will put you on the path to safely restore movement and strength to your knee as you recover. 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 rehabilitation 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 suffering from knee pain or have recently experienced a knee injury, you need the expert advice of Paulina Hills, 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 committed, customized care of your Axes physical therapist. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or discover the knee injury treatment location nearest you.