Individuals with anterior knee pain
Facts about Patellofemoral Joint Pain:
Patellofemoral joint pain syndrome occurs when the patella cartilage becomes overloaded due to overuse (often caused by high-impact activities) or as a result of poor alignment.
High impact sports—such as football, basketball, soccer, tennis, and running—can aggravate existing abnormal kneecap alignment.
Running on uneven surfaces, like hills or trails, or playing on multiple surfaces (such as going from a grass to a hard court in tennis) also may increase the likelihood of patellofemoral pain.
Non-active people can also suffer from patellofemoral pain during routine daily activities as well.
Females are especially prone to developing this type of knee pain due to the biomechanical alignment of their hips and lower extremities.
Research has shown strengthening of the hips can help to correct abnormal alignment and decrease excessive stress on the patella to prevent and improve patellofemoral pain symptoms.
What does Go Knees Go consist of?
Evaluation of the entire kinetic chain including biomechanical alignment, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility.
Determination of contributing stressors to the knee joint (for example, hip weakness or excessive pronation at the foot and ankle).
Manual therapy to release tension or guarding in soft tissues surrounding the knee and kneecap.
Neuromuscular re-education to facilitate more optimal movement patterns that decrease load on the patellofemoral joint.
Instruction in a home exercise program to include strengthening of weak musculature, stretching of tight muscles or soft tissues, and functional activities that facilitate return to pain-free activity.
Modalities including ultrasound, electrical stimulation, ice/heat, etc for pain management.
Trial of various taping and bracing methods to provide additional stability or unloading of the joint if necessary.
Goals:
To decrease pain caused by patellofemoral joint pain syndrome.
To correct biomechanical alignment to facilitate more optimal movement patterns to avoid recurrence of symptoms.
To train participants in a home program for long-term management of symptoms.
Why choose Family Physical Therapy?
No physician referral is required and same day appointments are available ensuring that you are able to begin treatment as soon as possible.
One-on-one treatment by a Physical Therapy every visit, no PT assistant
Our therapist’s are trained in the most current evaluative measures and treatment interventions
One hour treatment sessions
Front door parking
Extended hours starting at 7am until 7pm
Self-help Tips:
Try using an elliptical trainer for aerobic exercise which is low-impact and supports your body weight so that less stress is placed on the knee joints.
Proper sport-specific footwear is important for your safety – make sure that you have properly fitting shoes that provide the support you need for your activity and replace each season or every 6 months.
Always warm-up for 5-10 minutes before activity and cool-down for 5-10 minutes following to prevent injury and decrease soreness after exercise.
Ice your knees for 10-20 minutes following activity to ease pain and facilitate the healing process.