How a Trained Physiotherapist Can Help You Recover from Knee Injuries Faster

Physiotherapists are trained professionals who specialize in working with people to restore their strength, activity, mobility, and motion in a person after an injury or surgery. Through various stretches, physical exercises, strength training, and equipment, physiotherapists help people manage their pain. Millions of people in Canada take the help of physiotherapy to recover from various injuries. Knee pain and knee injuries are very common conditions in adults and teenagers. Physiotherapists can help manage the pain from knee injuries and help identify and diagnose a problem. This is the first step towards recovery. Knee pain can occur due to various reasons, leading to a knee injury if not diagnosed properly. A physiotherapist should be consulted if you feel discomfort in your knee for a long period of time.

Causes of Knee Pain

The knee joint is a body part that deals with a lot, especially when you move your feet a lot or play a sport. Injuries to the knee area and lower leg are common if these parts come n contact with other objects like uneven surfaces or another person while running. Following are the causes of knee pain due to two different types of knee injuries.

Soft Tissue Injuries

In a soft tissue injury, your ligament or muscle is strained. Swelling is often visible and is caused by blood around the area. If your patella, meniscus, or ACL is damaged, this can be a serious injury.

Bone Injuries

If your bone is fractured, it can lead to a knee injury. This can happen if you come in contact with a hard object, surface, or another person with a force or high impact. People who play sports often or run over long distances can often get stress fractures. Long training hours can also lead to shin splints.  

Type of Knee Pain

Acute pain is pain that is short-lived and goes away quicker than chronic pain. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than three months and doesn’t go away with most treatments. Acute pain can be severe and can occur after the person suffers from an injury. The best treatment for acute pain is rest in combination with medication.

How Physiotherapists Can Help

A good physiotherapist can help you manage your knee pain and prevent further complications. If you have suffered from a knee injury, a physiotherapist can provide you with the necessary treatment that will help you recover and prevent surgery. Physiotherapists help improve flexibility, strength, and mobility in the muscles surrounding your knee that support the lower leg and your knee. Physiotherapists curate a treatment plan to

• Prevent injuries from recurring
• Help your knee joint return to normal Range of Motion (ROM)
• Strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility
• Reduce pain.

Physiotherapy Treatment for Knee Injuries

There are various physiotherapy treatments for knee injury or knee pain that can help control the pain and prevent surgery/further complications.

Soft Tissue Release

This is an option for those suffering from knee pain. Physiotherapists know the right massage techniques that help relieve the pain. This technique can be beneficial even if it is the joint that is the source of the problem.

Mobilization

This is a manual technique performed by a trained physiotherapist. In mobilization, gentle manipulation helps restore motion, mobility, and flexibility in the joints and allows proper movement.

Stretching

Stretching allows for strengthening the muscles. However, one has to be careful when stretching as it can not be done alone, without any strengthening exercises. Stretching can cause your joints to become weak if not done in combination with a strengthening workout or routine. Foam rollers are great to help release knots in the muscle, and physiotherapists can guide on how to properly use them.

Strength Exercises

Strength exercise helps build strength around your lower leg and helps with knee pain. You can focus on exercises that will help you build strength in your lower extremities. These exercises can be lateral band walk, the bridge, the straight leg raise, and step-ups. Such exercises will help your knee recover faster and become stronger.  

Dry Needling

Dry needling is another great treatment that can help those suffering from a knee injury or knee pain. It’s especially helpful for those patients who have runner’s knee, IT band syndrome, or patellofemoral pain syndrome. They can benefit from dry needling as it involves providing relaxation to the muscles to reduce pain. Tiny, thin needles are directly inserted into the affected tissue to relieve pain.

Taping

This treatment is great for reducing stress on your knee and should only be done if it is not causing any discomfort.

Ice and Heat Application

Ice and heat are extremely useful for stimulating blood flow and reducing swelling in the knee area. Cooling off or warming up the muscles provides pain relief and also helps in the recovery process as it is therapeutic. If you want to consult trained physiotherapists in Edmonton, you can reach out to us or visit our Edmonton clinic for leading-edge physiotherapy. Our trained physiotherapists are available for any treatment, including massage therapy, vestibular therapy, shockwave therapy, acupuncture, and more. You can also book a physiotherapist appointment to know more about your knee injury and explore treatment options before selecting your mode of recovery. Schedule a meeting with a physical therapist in Stony Plain or Edmonton today at our Physiotherapy clinic. You can also book a physiotherapy session online if you wish to consul