Knee injuries St. Louis, MO. The knee is a versatile joint that lets our bodies perform a wide scope of motions such as sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, jumping and more. Sustaining a knee injury makes walking and many other basic tasks painful or even impossible. If you’ve recently experienced a knee injury or are impacted by chronic knee pain, it is essential to find first-rate physical therapy with licensed physical therapists in the St. Louis, MO area. At Axes Physical Therapy, we provide safe and effective care to hundreds of patients in the St. Louis, MO area. Contact us today to find out more or schedule your first appointment.

Axes Physical Therapy provides personalized, evidence-based analysis and therapy for people with knee injuries in St. Louis, MO. Our knee injury experts specialize in customized treatment plans implemented specifically for your injury, needs and movement goals. As a network of physical therapy facilities locally owned and operated by St. Louis, MO physical therapists, Axes Physical Therapy is dedicated to serving the specific needs of each St. Louis, MO patient we see.

The Human Knee

The knee is one of the biggest and most complex joints in the body. It attaches 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 drive the knee’s movements, and tendons and ligaments that attach 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 offer stability in front of and behind 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 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 one can sustain. If you’ve suffered a knee injury or are dealing with chronic knee pain, you need the attention and careful treatment of St. Louis, MO area physical therapists. Our team of certified therapists who are highly knowledgeable when treating knee injuries will lead you in your recovery and restore 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 left unattended or treated improperly can lead to continued issues, including arthritis. Knee sprains are usually 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 knock to the front or outside of the knee. Furthermore, non contact knee sprains are very common and occur because of weakness, muscle fatigue or poor technique. Symptoms include:

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

Torn cartilage can frequently happen take place at the same time as sprains, and happen when trauma to the knee tears the menisci. It’s most often the result of forcefully twisting or rotating your knee and is often sustained 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 working out 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 called “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 sort of knee injury, and at the start it may only occur when training or exercising. It is also often an overuse injury. Over time, the pain worsens 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 issues between the patella and femur and is typically felt when climbing stairs or getting up from a chair. The exact cause is not understood yet; however, most doctors and physical and occupational therapists suspect 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 especially painful category of knee injuries and require urgent medical attention. More complex fractures can require surgery to repair the knee and return functionality. There are three common knee injuries associated with fractures:

• Patellar: a fracture of the kneecap that typically takes place when you fall exactly on your knee, hit the dashboard in a car crash or experience another type of extreme external force to the knee. Symptoms include:
  • Pain, inflammation, and bruising
  • Inability to extend the knee or keep it straight
  • Inability to walk
• Distal Femur: happens where the thigh bone and knee touch. The bone can shatter or can break straight across. Distal femoral knee injuries frequently also hurt 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 placing weight on the knee
  • Swelling, bruising, and aching
  • The leg may look shorter and bent
• Proximal Tibia: often damage 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 frequently happen 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 crashes. Symptoms include:
  • inflammation around the knee
  • Visually clear deformity or misalignment
  • Numb, pale, or cold feet, as the flow of blood to the foot could be restricted

Dislocation of the knee or kneecap can either occur when the femur and tibia are forced out of alignment, or when the patella is pushed out of place. These are typically caused by high energy trauma from sports, car accidents or falls. People with a slightly atypical structure of the knee are at a higher risk of patellar dislocation knee injuries. While a St. Louis, 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, 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 happen in high-action sports where players are landing after jumping or changing 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 knee instability. While ACL tears are often accompanied by damage to other parts of the knee, by themselves they are often not painful. MCL and LCL tears occur when there is a hit that pushes the knee sideways.

Diagnoses and Tests

It is vital to receive the correct immediate and long-term care after sustaining a knee injury. The treatment you receive can be the difference between a swift and strong recovery or a lifetime of chronic, debilitating pain. In the event of knee injuries involving obvious and severe trauma, such as a dislocated patella, tests may not be necessary and a St. Louis, 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 St. Louis, MO medical professional can evaluate the appearance and mobility of your knee while checking for inflammation or tenderness. Our physical therapists are specialists in human motion and conduct free, no obligation injury screenings for your knee injuries and other injuries.
• X-Rays can detect broken bones and degenerative joint disease.
• CT scans combine X-rays from different angles to produce cross-sectional pictures of the inside 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 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 dealing with pain caused by a knee injury, contact Axes Physical Therapy to work with a St. Louis, MO physical therapist who is an expert in knee injuries. Your knee injury therapist will evaluate your motion, your mobility, and will also monitor how strong and stable your knee is. After diagnosis, your Axes physical therapist in St. Louis, MO County will recommend a bespoke treatment plan, which could include follow-up with a St. Louis, MO orthopedic or sports physician.

Treatments and Therapy

Less significant knee injuries can be treated using 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. 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, cannot move the knee, or cannot bear weight without pain. With some grave knee injuries, such as ACL tears or bone fractures, surgery is necessary to correct the structure of the knee and return functionality. Physical therapy will then be part of your preoperative and postoperative treatment plan. A St. Louis, MO physical therapist who treats knee injuries will help you safely restore movement and strength in your knee as you recuperate. Typical therapies for knee injuries include (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 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:

• 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
• Stroke Rehabilitation

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 St. Louis, 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 devoted, personalized care of your Axes physical therapist. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or discover the knee injury treatment location nearest you.