Knee Injury in Dittmer, MO

Knee Injury in Dittmer, MO. Suffering a knee injury can wreak havoc on your daily life, and often results in long-term harm. A knee injury can happen to anyone in Dittmer, MO. A knee injury can happen in any number of situations — often when you least expect it. However, knee injuries are most commonly caused by aging, repetitive motions, and sudden movement or trauma that can happen in accidents and when engaging in physical activities.

Are you experiencing knee-related symptoms like pain, swelling, or buckling? You may have a knee injury, whether or not you can identify a specific moment of trauma that could explain the injury. For your swift and successful recovery, contact Axes Physical Therapy in the Dittmer, MO area. The experienced staff of physical and occupational therapists will release you from pain and restore your mobility.

What Do I Need to Know About Knee Injuries?

The knee is the largest human joint and is critical to many of the actions, motions, and functions that are unique to humans and allow us to carry out the complicated tasks we use every day to go about our lives. This joint consists of four distinct structures, none of which are immune to injury. The knee is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.

There are multiple bones that make up the knee, including the tibia, femur, and patella. The three bones are held together by muscle groups, which are connected together by tendons and ligaments, that work together to make it possible for us to move our legs. In addition to connecting bones within the joint together, ligaments act to create stability and limit movement in certain directions. Inside the joint, the ends of the bones are capped by a layer of cartilage. The cartilage tissue cushions the hard bones from one another and absorbs the shock of movement and weight that introduce pressure to the joint.

All parts that make up the knee, whether soft tissue or bone, are essential to the knee’s ability to function as a strong and healthy joint, and damage to any one or more of these areas can lead to a knee injury. If you or a family member recently suffered an acute trauma to your knee or surrounding area or suffer from a chronic condition that could cause damage to any part of the knee, speak with Axes Physical Therapy to discuss the best choice for the treatment of a knee injury in Dittmer, MO today or make an appointment online now.

Knee Injury Statistics in in Dittmer, MO and the US

The knee is a complex part of the human anatomy — an intricately designed joint that makes it possible for us to execute tasks and movements other animals cannot. But this complex joint is vulnerable to a variety of injuries. In fact, knee injuries are the most common of all sports injuries, contributing to 41 percent of all sports injuries. And sports injuries make up only one type of knee injury that people in Dittmer, MO and throughout the US commonly experience. While young people more often get knee injuries from sports and other physical activities, older adults more often get knee injuries after falling or due to the development of a chronic condition like osteoarthritis.

Check out these fast knee injury facts and statistics provided by Society for Academic Emergency Medicine:

• Adolescents and young adults (patients ranging in age from 15 years old to their late 20’s) are the most likely to experience a knee injury
• Men are more likely to have a knee injury than women, with 68% of knee injury patients categorized as male
• Nearly half (49.5%) of all knee injuries take place during physical activity
• Among all sports-related knee injuries, the sports activities most likely to lead to injury are soccer and skiing, together accounting for more than a quarter of all sports-related knee injuries
• After sports injuries, most common knee injury causes are related to home structures (30.2%), and home furnishings (13.6%)
• By far the most common type of knee injury is a strain or sprain, making up 42.1% of all knee injury cases; next are contusions and abrasions at 27.1% and cuts and puncture wounds at 10.5%

Most Common Dittmer, MO Knee Injuries

• Sprains and Strains. A sprain or strain knee injury involves a muscle or ligament within the joint structure of the knee. These injuries happen when the knee meets a sudden force or is suddenly forced in the wrong direction (for example, planting the foot and pivoting, twisting the knee in the wrong direction).
• Fractures. A fracture is another word for a broken bone, which can be anything from a small, partial crack like a hairline fracture to something much more devastating like a comminuted fracture when the bone is crushed into several fragments. Even the kneecap bone, called the patella, can be fractured in a knee injury, especially in events such as car accidents or forceful falls on hard surfaces.
• Cartilage or Ligament Tears. Blows to the knee from different directions can lead to a number of different knee injuries involving ligaments surrounding the joint. Twisting, pivoting, and other sudden changes in direction can also result in a tear to the meniscus — the cartilage padding the knee where the bones meet — and/or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear injuries. If you have been diagnosed with or believe you have suffered an ACL injury get more information about our Dittmer, MO physical therapy services for ACL tears near you.
• Arthritis. There are countless variations of arthritis and each patient’s experience of the condition is their own. However, if you suffer from a chronic condition like arthritis and experience knee injury symptoms like pain or stiffness, your arthritis may be causing a knee injury and can even lead to the potential development of bone spurs. Without the proper quality arthritis treatment for joint health, you face rapid and irreparable damage to your knee joint cartilage. The right care that targets the underlying cause of your pain can prevent further damage
• Tendonitis and Inflammation. Tendons in the knee area can become inflamed through overuse or repeated stress, common in people who frequently perform running, jumping, or cycling activities. One of the most common types of tendonitis knee injuries is jumper’s knee. This condition is caused by the repeated force of hitting the ground when landing a jump.

Knee Injury Risk Factors in Dittmer, MO

• Being overweight. Heaviness or obesity introduces inordinate stress on the majority of your joints including your knees, even during ordinary activities such as walking or going up and down stairs. Being at an unhealthy excessive weight also puts you at increased risk of osteoarthritis by accelerating the breakdown of joint cartilage.
• Weakness or stiffness. A lack of strength and flexibility can put you at a heightened risk of succumbing to a knee injury. Strong muscles protect your joints and keep them properly aligned, while adequately flexible muscles make it possible to achieve full range of motion.
• Certain activities and occupations. Some sports put more strain on your knees than do others. Downhill skiing with its rigid ski boots and potential for falls, basketball jumps and pivots, and the repeated pounding your knees take when you run or jog all increase your risk of knee injury in Dittmer, MO. Jobs that require activities that put stress on the knees like maintenance or farming put you at an increased risk as well.
• Previous Injury. Being injured in the past makes it more likely that you’ll injure your knee again.
• Advanced age. As our bodies age, our tissues start to wear down. The knee is no exception. The protective cartilage cushioning the bones in your knee can wear thin, and diseases like osteoporosis leave your bones weak and susceptible to injury.

Do I Need Knee Injury Treatment in Dittmer, MO?

As always, each case is unique and it is important that you consult with a licensed and practiced healthcare professional any time you experience a condition such as a knee injury that makes it difficult or impossible for you to function as normal or causes you serious pain. After all, who wants to go through life with chronic pain or any sort of physical limitation, especially in a part of the body as critical to movement and daily life as the knee?

While each injury and patient is different, there are certain times that immediate medical care is necessary. After suffering an acute knee injury, noticeable swelling is a warning sign that you need emergency medical attention. According to Yale Medicine, swelling after a knee injury indicates a serious injury that necessitates immediate medical care. Quick, significant swelling that occurs within three to four hours after an instance of acute trauma to the knee is usually a sign that blood is trapped in the joint.

What To Do After a Knee Injury in Dittmer, MO

When in doubt, err on the side of caution and seek out medical care right away after you notice a potential knee injury. Especially in the case of an acute or sudden injury, the commonly known RICE method can help mitigate the damage and support your knee injury recovery with a swift response to the trauma.

The RICE method refers to:

• Rest. If you experience pain or suspect a knee injury, do not force any activity or introduce any additional undue stress to the joint. If possible, avoid putting weight on the affected knee and minimize movement.
• Ice. The application of ice or a cold compress after an injury like a knee injury can help temporarily ease the pain and reduce swelling. When using ice on an injury, do not apply the ice directly on bare skin and remember to follow an alternating schedule of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.
• Compression. It may be helpful to wrap the injured knee with a soft, elastic bandage or ace wrap. Take care not to wrap the area so tight that it causes pain or cuts off blood and oxygen circulation to the injured area.
• Elevate. During the initial resting time after the occurrence of your knee injury, you can use pillows, a stool, or another prop or structure to help keep your injured knee elevated higher than your heart. This elevation can stimulate reparative blood flow to the injury, reduce pressure and throbbing, and encourage the removal of waste from the area.

Knee Injury Physical Therapy in Dittmer, MO

When you come to Axes Physical Therapy for knee injury treatment near you in the Dittmer, MO area, you will be assigned a dedicated physical therapist who will lead your knee injury recovery by administering a custom physical therapy treatment plan in Dittmer, MO. With extensive clinical success guiding knee injury patients back to full performance, your physical therapist will put their advanced education and the latest empirical data on the most up-to-date treatment practices to use to help you successfully heal from your Dittmer, MO knee injury and return to all the activities you love and need to be able to do for work, home, and recreation.

During your first Dittmer, MO appointment with Axes for your knee injury, your physical therapist will perform a full injury screening and evaluation of your condition. From providing a full and accurate picture of your overall health to consistently engaging in the prescribed exercises, you are a critical piece in your knee injury treatment puzzle. It is critical that you take an active role in your physical therapy treatment of your knee injury.

In order to eliminate pain and other symptoms, heal the damaged tissue, and return you to optimal physical performance, your physical therapist may employ a number of therapies to target your knee injury.

• Stretches and exercises
• Training to correct posture, gait, or other movement technique
• Heat and ice therapies
• Ultrasound
• Electric stimulation
• Kinesiology taping
• Soft tissue massages or knee joint mobilization

The movement health professionals at Axes Physical Therapy in the Dittmer, MO area have a track record of effectively addressing the source of our patients’ pain, injuries, and movement disorders and returning them to the activities they value. Find out more about the conditions we treat and the treatment methods we provide in the Dittmer, MO area, such as:

• Shoulder Pain
• Injury Prevention
• Mobility
• Joint Pain
• Sciatica
• Dry Needling

Recover from your Knee Injury in Dittmer, MO Now

If you recently experienced a knee injury or are experiencing symptoms of any type of knee injury, it is important to consult a trustworthy healthcare professional as soon as possible. As licensed physical and occupational therapists with decades of clinical experience restoring the mobility of our patients, the physical therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in Dittmer, MO will guide you in your recovery by creating a personalized treatment plan based on the latest proven practices in movement health. Contact our physical therapy clinics today or find the location nearest you in Dittmer, MO to begin your healing journey and obtain relief from your knee injury.