Bending down to pick something up shouldn’t feel straining or painful. However, if you’re living with knee pain, you know firsthand how much harder simple tasks can be. If you’re noticing that your knee pain is affecting your daily routine and keeping you from doing the things you love, you’re not alone.
Up to 25% of adults with knee pain also report a loss of function in their affected knee or knees. Like other musculoskeletal conditions, knee pain occurs on a broad spectrum and can vary a lot from person to person. As we dive deeper into the potential causes of your knee pain and symptoms you may have, we’ll also address some physical therapy techniques and treatments that may help alleviate your pain.
What’s causing your knee pain?
It’s not always obvious why you’re feeling pain in your knee. The pain you’re feeling may have built up over time or occurred suddenly without a moment’s notice. It can be a result of multiple factors, or a single, stand-alone event. Below are some of the common causes of knee pain:
- Osteoarthritis (most common cause of knee pain)
- Overuse of your knee
- Sprained ligaments from sudden movements
- Tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons in or around your knee)
- Trauma (sports injury, falling)
- Age/weight (However, some studies show that knee pain has increased significantly over the past 20 years, regardless of age or BMI.)
- Prolonged or repetitive posture
Types of knee pain
Your knee joint is the largest joint in your body and serves as a hinge between your thigh bone (femur) and your shin bone (tibia), connecting at your knee cap (patella). Your knee is further supported by four main ligaments. When any of these ligaments become injured or strained, you may feel pain. Which is why certain movements like bending or weight bearing (squatting, kneeling) can add stress to your knee joint and further irritate your tendons, ligaments, or cartilage surrounding the knee.
Depending on where you feel your pain can further explain the type of knee pain you have and what kind of treatment may be most effective for reducing or maybe even alleviating your pain altogether. Here are some of the common types of knee pain:
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Anterior knee pain — also known as kneecap pain and can be felt at the front of your knee
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Lateral knee pain — occurs on the outside of the knee, often from activities that require overuse of the knee like running
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Medial knee pain — occurs along the inside of the knee, and occurs when your medial ligament becomes irritated
Physical therapy treatments that may help ease your knee pain
Before recommending physical therapy, your doctor may suggest a combination of rest and anti-inflammatory medication to see if your knee pain goes away.
However, depending on your level of injury to your knee and the root cause of your pain, you may still be feeling pain following a period of rest. At this point your doctor will go over all of your options to see what is the best route toward your pain management, such as surgery, physical therapy, or even both.
Sometimes temporary bracing or even assessing the footwear you use and opting for better more ergonomic choices, may be enough to ease your pain. For many adults, a personalized physical therapy plan is the next step to ease knee pain and provide relief. Here are some of the physical therapy techniques that may help reduce your knee pain:
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Manual therapy
Through a hands-on approach, a licensed physical therapist will apply gentle pressure and massage-like movements to your knee and surrounding muscles. One common sign of knee pain is redness or swelling around your knee due to inflammation.
This form of therapy specifically targets inflammation and improves blood flow by decreasing any stiffness and soreness you may feel around your knee joint and surrounding muscles.
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Graston Technique®
If you’re experiencing lateral knee pain, the Graston Technique may be a great option for you. A licensed physical therapist will use a specialized stainless steel tool to work through your soft tissue injury.
If you have tender spots or tight areas in your knee, this method can help relax the muscles and ease the discomfort. It also improves blood flow, which supports faster recovery by bringing oxygen and important nutrients to the area and helping the tissue heal.
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Trigger point dry needling
Dry needling is a physical therapy technique where a licensed physical therapist will insert dry, tiny needles into the muscles in your knee that may be causing you pain. This approach helps to alleviate stiffness and improve blood flow in these regions of the muscles. This quick contraction and relaxation of the muscle helps reduce tension and pain in the area. It also increases blood flow to particularly tight areas.
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Personalized strengthening and stretching program
Following a period of rest, you may have difficulty using your knee as you did before the pain occurred. More specifically, you may have trouble placing weight on your knee and flexing your knee without feeling tenderness or tightness. Fortunately, incorporating a personalized stretching and strengthening program may help improve your knee’s range of motion and build back your strength preinjury.
Relief from knee pain is possible with Forever Fit
Make sure to let your physical therapist know if you’re experiencing any pain during your treatment plan. At Forever Fit, we tailor your treatment to fit your needs.
If your pain persists well after you’ve completed your personalized treatment plan you will want to speak to your doctor to see what other options are available, such as surgery.
Are you tired of experiencing knee pain every time you bend down? Do you live near Severna Park, Frederick, Gaithersburg, or one of our other Maryland locations? If so, If so, our team is here to support you with a personalized knee physical therapy plan designed to help you move with more comfort and confidence.
