Hey! My name is Marley and this is my health advice blog. Maintaining your health is easy when you are young. However, as you get older, you may develop illnesses and disorders as a result of your lifestyle choices. When I hit the age of 50 years old, I suddenly realised that I had a lot of problems which I had been ignoring for a long time. I decided to visit my doctor and seek help. Over the past year, I have worked closely with my doctor to improve my lifestyle and my health. I hope my blog inspires you to do the same.
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Physiotherapy for Knee Pain 26 March 2020
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Marley's Health Advice
Physiotherapy for Knee Pain
Grace Henderson
Knee injuries are very common and can occur for a variety of reasons including:
- Sports injuries
- Injuries sustained in accidents, e.g. car accidents etc.
- Arthritis
- Gout
- Fractures
In addition to the reasons above, knee injuries can also occur from simple muscle movements with age. People are more prone to knee injuries as they age and the fluid between joints begins to wear out and bone loss occurs. This makes it difficult to perform simple daily tasks including, climbing up stairs, sitting for long periods of time and even driving short distances.
In some cases, surgery may be the only option to restore knee function. Surgery, however, should be used as a last resort, and in numerous cases, surgery can be avoided with proper treatment. Pain-relieving drugs are another form of treatment prescribed to patients, however, these cause a number of side effects, and in the long term, drugs do not get to the root cause of pain. Knee Rehabilitation Clinics provide tailored programs for their patients according to the type of knee issues and get to the root of the problem.
Here the major aims of Knee Rehabilitation Programs:
- Strengthening knee muscles — Patients are assisted in carrying out specific exercises that help make knee muscles stronger. This reduces pressure on the knee joints and helps reduce pain.
- Improving flexibility — Patients are taught specific stretching exercises to improve the flexibility of the strengthened muscles. This helps improve and restore range of motion to prevent future injuries.
- Targeting specific muscles attached to the knee — This includes muscles in the front and back of thighs (quads and hamstrings), muscles in the inner and outer thighs (abductors and adductors) and hip muscles. Targeting these muscles to make them stronger and more flexible is imperative when restoring knee function.
The length of each rehabilitation program varies and depends upon the severity of the knee issues.
Types of techniques used
As mentioned, one of the major techniques used is performing knee exercises. Here are some of the exercises patients perform as part of their Knee Rehabilitation Programs:
- Hamstring stretches — These are done to strengthen the hamstring muscles and improve their flexibility. For example, lay down and straighten your leg completely at 90 degrees. Then use your hands to pull at the knee joint towards the head.
- Calf — The calf is also an important muscle linked to the knee joint. Simply standing at a chair, holding the chair and lifting the heel helps activate and strengthen this muscle.
It is important to see a qualified physiotherapist at a knee rehabilitation clinic to obtain a tailored program.
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