What Causes Knee Pain?
With Autumn, comes the contact sport season. Knee injuries are synonymous with AFL, soccer, netball & rugby - with incidence of serious knee injury on the rise. This includes an average of 1 Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture per club this season in the AFLW at a huge cost to both the club & the individual. Not all knee injuries are as serious thankfully and with thorough assessment & diagnosis by the team here at KRP, time spent away from the things you love can be kept to a minimum.
At KRP, we’re experts in knee physiotherapy.
The knee joint is rather complex & requires elements of strength, stability, mobility and balance to operate effectively. It is essentially 2 joints in one;
The tibio-femoral joint (bears the most weight).
The patellofemoral joint (kneecap).
Both of these joints need to be working in harmony to achieve optimal knee function. The knee also serves as an important message centre for the rest of the lower limb. Harmony in the joint is disrupted by either something traumatic, resulting in;
ACL or PCL sprain or rupture.
MCL or LCL sprain or rupture.
Meniscus injury.
Fracture.
Quadriceps or hamstring muscle strains or tears.
Or it results from overuse type injuries, such as;
Patellar tendinopathy or tendinitis (Jumpers knee).
Patellofemoral joint syndrome or chondomalacia patella.
Illiotibial band (ITB) friction syndrome (Runners knee).
Hoffa’s fat-pad impingement.
Osgood Schlatter’s disease.
Osteoarthritis.
One of the major contributing factors to overuse type injuries at the knee joint includes faulty lower limb mechanics. This can include changes in foot posture, weakness around the knee or hip, tightness of muscles in the lower limb, stiffness in the lower back or a combination of all of these.
Assessment of meniscus injury following ACL rupture in the knee.
Our expert team of Physiotherapists here at KRP is highly skilled in the ability to take a thorough history of your symptoms & then perform a complete examination to determine all of the factors contributing to your knee pain. For that troublesome knee, these may include:
A strength based program to address muscle imbalance at the knee joint & around the hip & gluteal region.
Spinal mobilisations to promote pelvic rotation & reduce stiffness.
Soft tissue work to loosen tight lower limb muscles.
Pain management advice to allow increased function & quicker return to sport.
Taping of the knee to facilitate pain free movement & minimise stress on the knee joint upon return to play.
A detailed postural analysis of the foot & the placement of padding or a formthotics to correct faulty mechanics.
Shoe & football boot analysis, to address best fit & model for your foot type.
We also specialise in the rehabilitation of post-surgical knees. Including return to full-function after:
ACL repair or knee reconstruction.
Meniscal repair or meniscectomy.
Arthroscopy.
Total or partial knee joint replacement.
Osteotomy.
Fractured femur, tibia or fibula.
Synvisc injections.
If you’ve suffered a traumatic knee injury, have knee pain following overuse or have just had knee surgery, KRP has what’s required to return you to your optimal self & have you back out enjoying life in no time.
Keilor Road Physiotherapy are the experts at rehabilitating and stopping knee injury recurrence. Servicing Niddrie, Essendon, Airport West, Keilor & Melbourne’s Northern suburbs for over 40 years, you can book with one of our highly trained knee experts below or call 93794557 to speak to one of our admin superstars.
Related links
Article by
Tom Bevan-Shannon | Physiotherapist
Tom completed a bachelor of Exercise Science from LaTrobe University before completing his Masters of Physiotherapy at the University of Technology Sydney. He has since worked as a sports trainer in Sydney’s premier AFL division as well as junior elite soccer programs for Football Federation Victoria. This year Tom is the Physio for Essendon Royals FC and the Fremantle Dockers AFLW side.