Knee Injury in St. Peters, MO

Knee Injury in St. Peters, MO. A knee injury has the power to disrupt your daily life, and is likely to cause long-term symptoms. Anyone could be at risk of a knee injury in St. Peters, MO. A knee injury can happen in any number of situations — often when you least expect it. However, the most common knee-related complaints are knee injuries related to advanced age, exposure to repetitive motions, and trauma and damage caused by an accident or while being physically active.

If you have any symptoms related to the knee — pain, buckling, stiffness, swelling or irritation — you could be suffering from a knee injury. Increase your chances of a full, successful recovery by trusting Axes Physical Therapy near St. Peters, MO. The experienced staff of physical and occupational therapists will lead you toward a stronger, healthier, pain-free you.

knee injury St. Peters, MO | St. Peters physical therapy for knee injury

What Do I Need to Know About Knee Injuries?

The knee earns the title of the largest human joint, and one that is critical to executing so many of the motions and actions that distinguish us from other animals and allow us to carry out the complex tasks we use every day to go about our lives. This body part is made up of four types of structures, any of which are susceptible 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 bones are bound together by groups of muscles, which are connected together by tendons and ligaments, that work together to make it possible for us to move our legs. In addition to joining the separate bones together within the joint, ligaments also create stability and limit movement in certain directions. Inside 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 works as a shock absorber when movement or weight put pressure on the joint.

All parts that make up the knee, whether soft tissue or bone, are essential to the healthy functioning of the knee joint, and any kind of damage to the bones, muscles, tendons or ligaments within the joint can cause a knee injury. If you or a family member have recently suffered any kind of trauma in or around your knee or have a chronic condition that could cause damage to the knee, speak with Axes Physical Therapy to discuss how to care for and heal your knee injury in St. Peters, MO today or make an appointment online now.

Knee Injury Statistics in in St. Peters, MO and the US

The human knee is a sophisticated part of the human anatomy — an intricately designed joint that makes it possible for us to execute tasks and movements that are unique to humans. But this complex joint is vulnerable to a number of different injuries. In fact, knee injuries account for the most common type of sports injury, attributed with 41 percent of all sports injuries. And sports injuries are just one type of knee injury that people in St. Peters, MO and throughout the US can suffer. While 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 from 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 suffer a knee injury
Men experience knee injuries far more often than women, with 68% of knee injury patients categorized as male
Half of all knee injuries are caused by sports-related injuries
Among sports-related knee injuries, the sports activities most likely to lead to injury are soccer and skiing, together accounting for in excess of a quarter of all knee injuries related to sports
Other top knee injury causes are home structures at 30.2% and home furnishings at 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, followed by contusions and abrasions at 27.1% and lacerations and puncture wounds at 10.5%

Most Common St. Peters, MO Knee Injuries

Sprains and Strains. When you sprain or strain your knee, a muscle or ligament within the joint is damaged. These injuries 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 hairline fracture or crack in the bone 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 broken during 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. Sudden changes in direction such as twisting and pivoting motions 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. You can learn more about our treatment and therapy services for St. Peters, MO 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 arthritis or a similar condition 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.
Tendonitis and Other Forms of Inflammation. Tendons in the knee area can become inflamed through overuse or repeated stress, common in people who regularly perform 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 severe force of hitting the ground when landing a jump.

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

Excessive weight. 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. Being at an unhealthy excessive weight also puts you at increased risk of 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 help stabilize and protect your joints, while adequately flexible muscles can help you utilize a full range of motion.
Certain activities and occupations. Some athletic and occupational activities put greater stress 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 involve a risk of knee injury in St. Peters, MO. Occupations that involve activities that put stress on the knees such as 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.
Old age. As we age, the tissues in our body wear down. The cartilage protecting your knee joint can break down, and diseases like osteoporosis leave your bones weak and susceptible to injury.

When You Need St. Peters, MO Knee Injury Treatment

As always, each patient is different and it is important that you consult with a licensed medical professional when a knee injury or any condition 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 your experience as a patient is unique, there are certain times that immediate medical care is necessary. Specifically, when you suffer 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. Quick, extensive swelling that happens 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.

Types of Treatments for Knee Injuries in St. Peters, 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 St. Peters, 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 St. Peters, MO knee injury patient is different and every injury varies in severity, so your knee injury treatment plan in St. Peters, 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.

Knee Injury Physical Therapy in St. Peters, MO

As a valued knee injury treatment patient with Axes Physical Therapy in the St. Peters, 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 St. Peters, MO. With years of clinical experience 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 St. Peters, 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 St. Peters, MO appointment with Axes for your knee injury, your physical therapist will perform a full injury screening and evaluation of your condition. From ensuring that your physical therapist is operating with a complete picture of your condition and overall health to consistently engaging in the prescribed exercises, you are a critical piece in your knee injury treatment puzzle. It is imperative that you are an active participant 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 therapies to target your knee injury.

Stretches and exercises
Gait and posture training
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 St. Peters, MO area have experience guiding patients with all kinds of movement disorders, chronic pain, and injuries back to the life and activities they love. Find out more about our treatment capabilities and the types of conditions we specialize in for patients in the St. Peters, MO area, such as:

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

If you recently experienced a knee injury while being active or are suffering from symptoms of any type of knee injury, do not waste any time. Contact a experienced medical professional as soon as possible. As musculoskeletal specialists with expertise in movement and the human body, the physical therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in St. Peters, MO will help you understand your injury and design a tailored treatment plan that works for you. Contact the professionals at any of our accessible treatment locations in the St. Peters, MO area to restore your mobility and acheive relief from your knee injury.

Knee Injury St. Peters, MO