Knee Injury in St. Louis, MO

Knee Injury in St. Louis, MO. A knee injury can wreak havoc on your everyday life, and often results in long-term harm. There is nobody in St. Louis, MO who is completely immune to the threat of a knee injury. People of all ages, genders, and activity levels can experience a knee injury. However, knee injuries are most commonly caused by aging, repetitive motions, and trauma and damage caused by an accident or while being physically active.

Do you have knee pain, buckling, stiffness, swelling, or other symptoms related to the knee? 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 near St. Louis, MO. The experienced staff of physical and occupational therapists will design a treatment plan to maximize your recovery and restore you to optimal movement.

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What Are Knee Injuries?

The knee is the largest human joint and is critical to executing so many of the actions, motions, and functions that are unique to humans and allow us to accomplishing the complicated tasks we use every day to go about our lives. This joint is composed of four types of structures, all 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. These bones are held together by muscle groups, which are connected together by tendons and ligaments, that make it possible for us to move our legs. In addition to connecting bones within the joint together, the ligaments act to provide stability and prevent movement in certain directions. Within the joint, the end of each bone is 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 the different components of the knee’s anatomy, 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 have recently experienced any kind of trauma in or around your knee or have developed a chronic condition that could cause damage to the knee, reach out to Axes Physical Therapy to discuss the best choice for the treatment of a knee injury in St. Louis, MO today or book an appointment online now.

Prevalence and Common Causes of Knee Injuries in St. Louis, MO and the US

The knee is a complex part of the human body — an intricately constructed joint that allows us to execute tasks and movements other animals cannot. But this intricate joint is vulnerable to a variety of injuries. In fact, knee injuries account for the most common type of sports injury, contributing to 41 percent of all sports injuries. But sports injuries make up only one type of knee injury that people in St. Louis, MO and throughout the US commonly experience. Though physical activity is the more common cause of knee injuries in young people, older adults who sustain knee injuries most often do so in acute injuries involving falls and ramps or through chronic conditions like 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
Men are more likely to have a knee injury than women, with 68% of knee injury patients categorized as male
Fifty percent of all knee injuries are caused by sports-related injuries
Among sports-related knee injuries, soccer and skiing are the most dangerous sports and activities, together accounting for in excess of a quarter of all sports knee injuries
After sports injuries, most common causes of knee injuries 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 lacerations and puncture wounds at 10.5%

Most Common St. Louis, MO Knee Injuries

Sprains and Strains. When you sprain or strain your knee, a muscle or ligament within the joint is damaged. These injuries are caused by sudden force to the knee or a sudden or unintended motion of the knee (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 such as a comminuted fracture when a bone is crushed into multiple fragments. Even the patella, the bone commonly known as the kneecap, can be fractured during 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. Sudden changes in direction such as twisting and pivoting motions can also cause a meniscus tear — the cartilage padding the knee where the bones meet — and/or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear injuries. You can learn more about our treatment and therapy services for St. Louis, MO ACL tears in your area.
Arthritis. Many different types of arthritis exist and each patient has their own unique experience of their condition. However, if you live with a chronic condition like arthritis and experience knee injury symptoms like pain or stiffness, you may have an arthritis-induced knee injury. You may even be at risk of developing 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 patients who engage in frequent running, jumping, or cycling activities. One of the most common types of tendonitis knee injuries is what is known as jumper’s knee because of the strain to the tendon that occurs as a result of the repeated force of hitting the ground after jumping.

Risk Factors for a Knee Injury in St. Louis, MO

Excessive weight. Being overweight or obese increases stress on the majority of your joints including your knees, even during ordinary activities from walking, sitting and standing, and going up and down stairs. It is also a risk factor for developing osteoarthritis because of the premature breakdown of joint cartilage.
Weakness or stiffness. Inadequate strength or flexibility can put you at a heightened risk of knee injuries. Strong muscles protect your joints and keep them properly aligned, while muscle flexibility can help you achieve full range of motion.
Some activities and occupations. Some athletic and occupational activities put greater strain on your knees than do others. Alpine snowboarding and skiing involve rigid boots and harsh landings, basketball jumps and pivots, and the relentless force your knees take when you run or jog all increase your risk of knee injury in St. Louis, MO. Occupations that require activities that put stress on the knees like maintenance or farming put you at an increased risk as well.
History of previous injury. Having a previous knee injury puts you at a higher risk of injuring your knee again.
Age. As we age, our tissues start to wear down. The cartilage protecting your knee joint can wear thin, and diseases like osteoporosis leave your bones weak, making you.

Do I Need Knee Injury Treatment in St. Louis, MO?

As with any medical condition or injury, each patient is unique and you should always consult with a licensed and practiced medical professional any time you experience a condition such as a knee injury that affects your ability to function normally or live comfortably. 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, some times immediate medical care is warranted. 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 is a hallmark sign that the injury is serious and medical care is warranted. Immediate, extensive swelling that occurs in the three to four hours after an instance of acute trauma to the knee is typically a sign that blood is trapped in the joint.

What To Do After a Knee Injury in St. Louis, 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.

Getting Physical Therapy for your Knee Injury in St. Louis, MO

When you come to Axes Physical Therapy for knee injury treatment near you in the St. Louis, MO area, you will be assigned one dedicated physical therapist who will work with you by administering a custom physical therapy treatment plan in St. Louis, MO. With extensive clinical success restoring knee injury patients back to full movement health, your physical therapist will draw upon their extensive education and the most current evidence-based practices to help you successfully heal from your St. Louis, MO knee injury and return to all the activities you love so you can go about your regular life at home, at work, and in your personal time.

During your first St. Louis, 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 providing a full and accurate picture of your 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 take an active role in your knee injury physical therapy treatment.

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 therapist may employ a number of treatments to target your knee injury.

Therapeutic exercises and stretches
Gait and posture training
Heat and ice therapies
Ultrasound
Electric stimulation
Kinesiology taping
Soft tissue massages or knee joint mobilization

The experts in movement health and the musculoskeletal system at Axes Physical Therapy in the St. Louis, 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 care about. Learn more about the conditions we treat and the treatment methods we provide in the St. Louis, MO area, such as:

Recover from your Knee Injury in St. Louis, MO Now

If you recently experienced a knee injury or are experiencing any symptoms that you think may be caused by any type of knee injury, do not waste any time. Talk to a experienced 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 St. Louis, MO will guide you in your recovery by creating a personalized treatment plan based on the latest proven practices in movement health. Contact the professionals at any of our accessible treatment locations in the St. Louis, MO area to restore your mobility and acheive relief from your knee injury.

Knee Injury St. Louis, MO