Knee Injury in Ellisville, MO

Knee Injury in Ellisville, MO. Suffering a knee injury can wreak havoc on your everyday life, and is likely to cause long-term symptoms. A knee injury can happen to anyone in Ellisville, MO. Knee injuries can happen in a variety of ways — often when you least expect it. However, the majority of knee injury victims experience damage due to advanced age, 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 for help with your knee injury near Ellisville, MO. Our team of physical and occupational therapists will design a treatment plan to maximize your recovery and restore you to optimal movement.

knee injury Ellisville, MO | Ellisville physical therapy for knee injury

What Are Knee Injuries?

The knee is the largest joint in the human body, and one that is critical to many of the actions, motions, and functions that distinguish us from other animals and allow us to performing the complex tasks our busy lives require. This joint consists of four types of structures, any of which can be injured or damaged. The knee is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.

The bones of the knee include the tibia, femur, and patella. The bones are held in place by groups of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that allow us to move our legs. In addition to joining the separate bones together within the joint, the ligaments also provide stability and prevent movement in certain directions. Within the joint, the ends of the bones are capped in 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, both hard bone and soft tissue, 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 result in a knee injury. If you or a family member recently experienced any kind of trauma in or around your knee or have a chronic condition that could lead to damage to the knee structure, reach out to Axes Physical Therapy to discuss how to care for and heal your knee injury in Ellisville, MO today or make an appointment online now.

Prevalence and Common Causes of Knee Injuries in Ellisville, MO and the US

The knee is a complex part of the human anatomy — a beautifully constructed joint that makes it possible for us to move and act in ways that are unique to humans. However, along with the intricate design comes an inherent susceptibility to a number of different injuries. In fact, knee injuries account for the most common type of sports injury, making up 41 percent of all sports injuries. But sports injuries make up only one category of knee injury individuals in Ellisville, MO and throughout the US commonly experience. Though young people more often get knee injuries from sports and other physical activities, older adults who sustain knee injuries most often do so in acute injuries involving falls and ramps or through chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis.

Learn more about knee injuries through the following facts and statistics provided by Society for Academic Emergency Medicine:

Teens 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
68% of knee injury victims are male
Half of all knee injuries take place during physical activity
Among sports-related knee injuries, soccer and skiing are the most dangerous sports and activities, each responsible for in excess of a quarter of all knee injuries related to sports
Other top knee injury causes are related to home structures at 30.2% and home furnishings at 13.6%
The overwhelmingly most common knee injury diagnoses are strains and sprains at 42.1%, followed by contusions and abrasions at 27.1% and lacerations and puncture wounds at 10.5%

Common Types of Knee Injuries in Ellisville, MO

Sprains and Strains. A sprain or strain knee injury involves a muscle or ligament within the joint structure of the knee. Injuries of this nature happen when the knee meets a sudden force or is suddenly forced in the wrong direction (for example, suddenly stopping to change directions or twisting).
Fractures. A fracture is a broken bone, which can be anything from a stress fracture or crack in the bone to a much more brutal break like a comminuted fracture when a bone shatters into multiple pieces. Even the patella, the bone commonly known as the kneecap, can be fractured in a knee injury, especially in car accidents, hard falls against solid objects, assaults and other traumatic events.
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 cause a tear to the meniscus — the cartilage padding the knee where the bones meet — and/or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear injuries. You can get more information about our Ellisville, MO physical therapy services for ACL tears in your area.
Arthritis. There are countless variations of arthritis and each patient has their own unique experience of their condition. However, if you suffer from a chronic condition like arthritis and have symptoms of a knee injury like pain and limited mobility, 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 individuals who engage in frequent running, jumping, or cycling activities. One of the most common types of tendonitis knee injuries is jumper’s knee because of the strain to the tendon that occurs as a result of the repeated force of hitting the ground when landing a jump.

Knee Injury Risk Factors in Ellisville, MO

Being overweight. Heaviness or obesity puts undue stress on the majority of your joints including your knees, even during ordinary activities such as walking or going up and down stairs. It is also a risk factor for developing osteoarthritis by accelerating the breakdown of joint cartilage.
Muscle or bone weakness or stiffness. A lack of strength and flexibility can put you at a heightened risk of knee injuries. Strong muscles help stabilize and protect your joints, and adequately flexible muscles can help you utilize a full range of motion.
Some activities and occupations. Some sports put more strain on your knees than do others. Alpine snowboarding and skiing involve rigid boots and harsh landings, basketball jumps and pivots, and the repeated pounding of running or jogging on hard surfaces like pavement all increase your risk of knee injury in Ellisville, MO. Jobs that involve repetitive stress on the knees like auto work or farming put you at an increased risk as well.
History of previous injury. Having a previous knee injury makes it more likely that you’ll injure your knee again.
Advanced age. As we age, our tissues start to wear down. The knee is no exception. The protective cartilage cushioning the bones in your knee can degrade, and conditions associated with advanced age like osteoporosis leave your bones weak, making you.

Do I Need Knee Injury Treatment in Ellisville, MO?

As always, each patient is unique and it is important that you speak with a licensed and practiced medical professional when a knee injury or any condition affects your ability to function normally or live comfortably. After all, if there was a treatment solution that could treat your chronic pain and restore your mobility in a joint as important as the knee, wouldn’t you try it?

While each injury and patient is different, some times immediate medical care is warranted. Specifically, when you suffer an acute knee injury, the biggest warning sign that you need immediate knee injury treatment is swelling. According to Yale Medicine, swelling after a knee injury indicates a serious injury that necessitates immediate medical care. Rapid, extensive swelling that happens 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.

Types of Treatments for Knee Injuries in Ellisville, MO

The right knee injury treatment for your condition depends on the nature of your injury, your overall medical condition, and many other factors that the trained eye of a clinically experienced, licensed Ellisville, MO physical therapist with Axes Physical Therapy will identify and examine. Often, a knee injury can be managed with conservative treatment and, with the right movement medicine and timely intervention, you will be back up and running (and walking, standing, jumping, and everything else you love to do) within weeks. However, each Ellisville, MO knee injury patient is different and every injury varies in severity, so your knee injury treatment plan in Ellisville, MO should reflect that.

When you need knee injury treatment, you may be looking at the following common treatment options.

Medications. Your doctor may prescribe medications to help relieve pain and to treat the conditions causing your knee pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout. Over the counter anti-inflammatory medications can also help manage symptoms as your knee injury heals.
Injections. Injections to the site of the knee injury, such as corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid, have, in some cases, been helpful in reducing pain and improving mobility.
Physical Therapy. Physical therapy focuses on movement health and correcting the problem at the source. For your knee injury, physical therapy may include treatments that strengthen and stabilize your knee and surrounding parts of the body, increase flexibility and range of motion, improve balance, and correct technique in physical activities.
Surgery. Surgery is reserved for severe knee injuries and patients who have not had success with less invasive treatment methods. For a knee injury, surgeries can range from partial knee replacement, total knee replacement, or surgeries removing aggravating tissue or bone. If your knee injury treatment team decides that surgery is your best option, other treatments such as physical therapy will be critical in the preparation of and recovery from the operation to help you return to strength and full use of your knee joint.

Getting Physical Therapy for your Knee Injury in Ellisville, MO

As a valued knee injury treatment patient with Axes Physical Therapy in the Ellisville, MO area, you will work with one dedicated physical therapist who will lead your knee injury recovery for the entirety of your knee injury physical therapy treatment plan in Ellisville, MO. With extensive clinical success guiding knee injury patients back to full performance, your physical therapist will draw upon their extensive education and the most current evidence-based practices to help you successfully heal from your Ellisville, MO knee injury and return to all the activities you care about and need to be able to do for work, home, and recreation.

During your first Ellisville, MO appointment with Axes for your knee injury, your physical therapist will perform an evaluation of your overall condition, health history, and an injury screening. From ensuring that your physical therapist is operating with a complete picture of your condition and overall health to consistently practicing the prescribed treatments and exercises, you are a critical piece in your knee injury treatment puzzle. It is critical that you are an active participant in your physical therapy treatment of your knee injury.

Your physical therapist will devise a custom treatment plan to eliminate pain and other symptoms, repair tissue damage, and restore your mobility. To this end, your physical therapy treatment may involve a variety of treatment modalities 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 Ellisville, MO area have successfully treated hundreds of patients with pain, injuries, and chronic conditions and have restored their ability to do the activities they value. Discover more about the conditions we treat and the treatment methods we provide in the Ellisville, MO area, such as:

Recover from your Knee Injury in Ellisville, MO Now

If you recently experienced a knee injury while being active or are suffering from symptoms of any type of knee injury, it is important to consult a experienced healthcare professional as soon as possible. As musculoskeletal specialists with expertise in movement and the human body, the physical therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in Ellisville, MO will guide you in your recovery by creating a personalized treatment plan based on the latest proven practices in movement health. Contact our Ellisville, MO treatment professionals or find our facility that is most convenient for you to begin your healing journey and obtain relief from your knee injury.

Knee Injury Ellisville, MO

Knee Injury Ellisville, MO