Knee Pain
The knee is perhaps the simplest of all of the joints of the body for a physiotherapist to assess and treat. The bad news is that because of the knee’s role and the fact that it is only really designed to move up and down, it is very prone to injury, particularly through twisting. We see a lot of chronic (long term) knee injuries that have been made worse over a period of time. This type of injury is likely to be degeneration of the cartilage on the end of the bones. This happens very slowly but surely and is progressive in nature, with no real cause other than years of over use. This type of knee pain is very irregular and can often cause the knee joint to swell. The knee may also be prone to giving way due to the now uneven surfaces of the bones involved with the knee joint.
Ligament problems of the knee are caused by the knee joint twisting too far, usually when the foot is fixed on the floor. The knee will often swell in the early phase and the pain begins to settle at rest, however the pain is often felt with any kind movement that involves twisting of the knee, for example uncontrolled twisting at night in bed, or when getting in and out of a car. This twisting mechanism may also cause a tear in the other type of cartilage known as the meniscus, this is the shock absorber in the knee. This is very painful to begin with and will cause swelling, but then will settle and re-occur very randomly when you least expect it.
Caused by
The cartilage type injury may be caused by gradual over use, possibly caused by too much running or even swimming (breast stroke). The ligament problems are caused by a twisting mechanism such as when a footballer will be involved in a block tackle, or a situation where the body turns whilst the foot is fixed on the floor.
Recovery time
Unfortunately the cartilage problem is very unlikely to ever fully recovery, even with surgery, but it can be managed. This is very important to understand, not all injuries can be fully healed with physiotherapy, but never let any one tell you that it can’t be helped in some way. We would often recommend strengthening of the muscles surrounding the injured knee which provides some form of strength and control. Strengthening may take anywhere from 6-12 weeks.
Ligament problems, typically a medial (inside) knee ligament problem will recovery with physio from us within 6 weeks.
Unfortunately, meniscal type injuries often require arthroscopic (key hole) surgery. Physiotherapy will then help speed up the recovery post surgery which may take 4-6 weeks.
More examples of the injuries we see every day in our practice
Back pain | Ankle sprain | Shoulder pain | Whiplash | Knee pain
