Knee Pain (General)

Knee pain is fairly common complaint in patients of all ages and occupations due to the active role your knee joints play in everyday activity. Pain radiating from the knee can be a sign of an injury—such as a tear in the knee cartilage or a ruptured ligament—or underlying medical conditions such as arthritis or even infection.

Knee Pain Symptoms and Potential Causes

The severity and accompanying symptoms of knee pain can vary depending on the cause. Common symptoms that coincide with knee pain include impaired or limited movement, swelling, weakness, a popping or grinding noise, and feeling warm to the touch.

Potential Treatment for Knee Pain

When you are suffering from knee pain, there are treatment options you should know about besides

Physical Therapy (PT)

In Physical therapy, every new patient starts with a full one-hour evaluation to discuss past medical history, review symptoms, understand the patients concerns, and physically evaluate the knee. They will then design an individualized program of exercises, stretches, as well as manual therapy interventions that will help strengthen muscles around your knee, improve posture and reduce stress on your body from daily activities. In addition to physical therapy, many people find that massage therapy can relieve tight muscles and help them relax during recovery from an injury or surgery. One advantage to choosing physical therapy as a first line of defense, is that it offers a more holistic approach to treat the causes of your pain rather than just treating symptoms alone.

Alternative Treatments

There are many alternative treatments for knee pain, and most work similarly. They help to loosen up the muscles holding your spine in legs or move tissue within your knee, making it easier for your body to heal itself. These include:

• Massage therapy: A massage therapist can help relax tense muscles, reduce stress and improve circulation in the area. Massage therapists often use deep tissue techniques that target specific areas near your knee to release tension and decrease muscle spasms. They also use heat therapy to increase blood flow and reduce swelling.
• Dry Needling: Similar to acupuncture, Dry Needling involves inserting thin needles into specific points on your body to stimulate healing responses in your nervous system. Therapists believe that stimulating these points helps relieve pain by sending messages to the brain about what’s causing it.
• Myofascial Release: Therapists work with patients whose symptoms include knee pain by manipulating a specific layer of the soft tissue called the fascia using massage techniques. They may also hold your body positions to stretch some of the tight fascia.