30 Jul Knee Pain: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatment
How common is knee pain? Unfortunately, pretty common! An estimated 25% of Americans report frequently dealing with knee pain. Knee pain can have a variety of causes, symptoms, and treatment options. Here are some typical knee pain symptoms, causes – and what might improve how you’re feeling.
Causes of Knee Pain:
Knee pain can be caused by factors like:
Weight: Over time, excess body weight can cause knee pain and joint damage.
Body Type: Certain body types can increase stress on the knee joint, especially during activity. For example, those with bowed legs have excess stress placed on the inner edge of their knee.
Arthritis: Inflammation and cartilage damage can cause knee pain.
Injury: Direct injury to the knee through accident or activity can result in knee pain.
Overuse: Doing too much, too soon, can cause pain in and around the knee.
Knee Pain Symptoms:
Knee pain can present in different ways, such as:
Aching or burning
Sharp pain with movement
Pain in the joint
Pain around the knee
Swelling and popping
Knee Pain Treatment:
When treating knee pain, determining what type of pain -and its cause- is important. A physical therapy evaluation can help determine what’s going on with your knee and if you’d benefit from specialized imaging or further exam.
Once your PT has evaluated your knee, your symptoms, and your history, many patients with knee pain respond very well to a round of physical therapy. For example, knee pain caused by overuse may need some hip or quad strengthening, as well as some time off your favorite activity. Patients with arthritis may need to work on stretching and a PT program designed to improve mobility and movement.
If imaging or a visit to your ortho doc is indicated, your PT is a great place to start. If more invasive treatment, like surgery, is required, physical therapy, both before and after surgery, is the ideal way to improve your healing journey.
Physical therapy can also offer innovative treatment techniques like IASTM (instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization – like Graston Technique), dry needling, and BFR (blood flow restriction). These different treatment types can reduce discomfort and speed healing.
Your knee pain is as individual as you are. Your knee might hurt because you hiked too far on steep terrain; meanwhile your partner has knee pain that’s lasted years from an old injury in high school. At Body One, we treat the whole patient and not just the body part. We treat patients of all ages and activity levels, and have three convenient locations on Indy’s north side: Fishers, North Meridian, and Zionsville.
