Physiotherapy for Knee Pain

Physiotherapy is the most common recommendation for patients suffering from knee pain and the vast majority of knee pan can be solved with a good physiotherapy program. The key to successful knee physiotherapy is a detailed assessment to properly diagnose the problem. Knee pain is caused by many different and discrete diagnoses and the treatment plan must be tailored to suit each specific patient’s needs.

Common Types of Knee Pain

• Patello-Femoral Syndrome
• Patellar tendonitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Meniscal tears
• Ligament injuries
• Bakers cyst
• Osteochondritis dessicans (OCD)
• Jumpers knee
• IT band syndrome
• Osgood-schlatter’s disease
• Larsen Johansson Syndrome
• Fractures
• Plica syndrome
• Pes anserine bursitis
• Tendonitis
• Avascular necrosis
• Chondral defects

As you can see there is a long list of different problems that can be the source of knee pain. This highlights the importance of a detailed physiotherapy assessment of the knee to understand the problem fully.

Physiotherapy Assessment of the Knee Should Consist of:

• A detailed history of the problem
• Evaluation or range of motion
• Evaluation of strength
• Proprioception and balance tests
• Functional movement screening
• Special orthopedic tests
• Palpation of painful structures

Physiotherapy Treatment for Knee Pain

The specific treatment plan will vary widely between patients based on the following factors;

• The diagnosis
• Stage of injury (acute or chronic)
• Fitness level of the patient
• Patients lifestyle factors and goals of treatment
• Severity of the injury

Treatment will likely involve some combination of education, manual therapy and exercise all expertly designed by the Physiotherapist to address the patients specific diagnosis and achieve their functional goals.

Therapia physiotherapists are experienced in the management of knee pain. To get started, click here to book an appointment or call 1 888-825-7045.

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