Knee injuries St. Peters, MO. The knee is a versatile joint that allows our bodies to accomplish a wide array of motions like sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, jumping and more. Suffering a knee injury makes walking and a lot of other daily activities painful or even impossible. If you’ve recently had a knee injury or are impacted by chronic knee pain, it is vital to find first-rate physical therapy with licensed physical therapists in the St. Peters, MO area. At Axes Physical Therapy, we give safe and effective therapy to hundreds of St. Peters, MO residents. Contact us today to find out more or schedule your first appointment.

Axes Physical Therapy provides bespoke, evidence-based evaluation and treatment for those with knee injuries in St. Peters, MO. Our knee injury experts specialize in personalized treatment plans made 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 devoted to serving the specifical needs of each St. Peters, MO patient we see.

The Human Knee

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints we have. 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 comprise the knee joint. Surrounding the knee are leg muscles, which are responsible for the knee’s movements, and tendons and ligaments that attach 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 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 commonly seen musculoskeletal injuries that one can sustain. If you’ve sustained a knee injury or are living with chronic knee pain, you need the care and careful treatment of St. Peters, MO area physical therapists. Our team of certified therapists who are highly knowledgeable when treating knee injuries will guide you in your recuperation 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 occur when ligaments in the knee are torn or overstretched. Knee sprains are painful, and if untreated or cared for poorly can result in continued issues, including arthritis. Knee sprains are commonly 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 result from weakness, muscle fatigue or improper mechanics. 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 occur when trauma to the knee tears the menisci. It’s most often 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 continued jumping and rotating/pivoting. In older adults, a cartilage tear in the knee can take place 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 bend or straighten the knee

Patellar Tendonitis, also known as “jumper’s knee,” is a result of swelling of the tendons in the knee, specifically the quadriceps tendon. Anterior knee pain is almost always the main symptom of this type 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, after a while you could find it difficult to climb stairs or even rise from a chair. For that reason, it’s vital to seek out 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 a result of tracking and alignment issues between the patella and femur and is commonly experienced climbing stairs or rising from a chair. The specific cause is still unknown; however, most doctors and physical and occupational therapists think 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 an exceptionally painful variety of knee injuries and need urgent medical attention. More complicated 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 often takes place when you fall directly on your knee, hit the dashboard in a auto crash or suffer another kind of heavy blow 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 connect. The bone may shatter or can break straight across. Because distal femoral knee injuries can damage the cartilage in the knee, they can sometimes be more difficult to treat. They typically occur in the elderly as their bones weaken, or to people in high energy impact collisions. Symptoms include:
  • Pain when putting weight on the knee
  • Swelling, bruising, and soreness
  • The leg may look shorter and crooked
• Proximal Tibia: frequently 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 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 auto crashes. Symptoms include:
  • inflammation surrounding the knee
  • Visually apparent deformity or misalignment
  • Numb, pale, or cold feet, 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 frequently caused by high impact trauma 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 St. Peters, MO doctor will be able to put the knee or kneecap back in place, treatment by a physical therapist will be an essential facet of the rehabilitation process to reduce swelling, slowly improve 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-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 often accompanied by damage to other parts of the knee, ACL tears alone are often not painful. MCL and LCL tears occur when there is a blow that pushes the knee sideways.

Diagnoses and Tests

It is vital to receive the proper urgent 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 the event of knee injuries involving noticeable and major trauma, such as a dislocated patella, tests may not be needed and a St. Peters, MO ER doctor will work to stabilize the knee as quickly as possible. Other means of diagnosis for knee injuries are:

• A physical examination. A St. Peters, 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 movement and offer 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 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 pictures of the inside of your knee. This test is frequently utilized 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 St. Peters, MO physical therapist who is an expert in knee injuries. Your knee injury therapist will evaluate your movement, your mobility, and will also monitor how strong and stable your knee is. After diagnosis, your Axes physical therapist in St. Peters, MO County will recommend a bespoke treatment plan, which may include an appointment with a St. Peters, MO orthopedic or sports physician.

Treatments and Therapy

Minor 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 temporarily stop any activity you think may have resulted in your injury. Seek 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 needed 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. Peters, MO physical therapist who specializes knee injuries will put you on the path to safely restore movement and strength to your knee as your injury heals. 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 based on proven treatment strategies and are tailored specifically for each patient. We lead you in your recuperation 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:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Receive Physical Therapy for Knee Injuries

If you are dealing with knee pain or have recently experienced a knee injury, you need the professional advice of St. Peters, 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.