FREE Physical Therapy - Vol. 4-Knee Pain, October 2006
There are a variety of reasons people may feel knee pain; a few possible causes include tendonitis, patello-femoral syndrome, overuse injury and arthritis. Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon usually resulting from a strain of the tendon. Patello-femoral syndrome is kneecap pain that is caused by the patella (knee cap) rubbing against the femur (thigh bone). This is often caused by muscle imbalances of the quads or gluts, ITB, calf, or quads, or by overuse with activities such as running. Arthritis is caused by degenerative changes to a joint surface resulting in the loss (breakdown) of cartilage (or cushion) in a joint. This can lean to painful inflammation of the joint in later stages.
Characteristic symptoms of these problems are pain while descending stairs, after prolonged walking, throbbing pain, aching, swelling, stiffness after prolonged sitting and pain that decreases with rest or ice.
Some common treatments you may want to try include the following:
Ice: Try putting ice or frozen peas or corn on your knees for 10 to 15 minutes while resting.
Stretching: Hamstring Supporting thigh behind knee, slowly straighten knee until stretch is felt in back of thigh. Hold 15 seconds. Repeat 5 times per set. Do 3 sessions per day.
Stretching: Quadriceps (Standing)
Pull heel toward buttock until stretch is felt in front of thigh. Hold 15 seconds. Repeat 5 times per set. Do 3 sessions per day.
For a full evaluation contact your physician for a PT prescription. A PT evaluation may consist of assessment of postural alignment, muscle strength, muscle length, patellar tracking, gait analysis and range of motion measurements.
