Physical Therapy for Knee Pain

Our Physical Therapists develop personalized rehabilitation programs for each patient’s condition. The program will help you to recover and safely return to desired activities without pain.

Some general treatment techniques may include:

Patient Education. Our Physical Therapists work to identify and change any factors causing pain. They work with each patient on the type and amount of exercise performed, athletic activities, and footwear. Our DPT’s also recommend improvements to daily activities. We develop and teach a personalized exercise program to help to return to desired activities as much as possible

Pain Management. Our Doctors of Physical Therapy design a program to address pain. They also may recommend modifying some activities that cause pain. We will use and teach pain-management techniques to reduce or eliminate the need for medication, including opioids.

Range-Of-Motion Exercise. If the mobility (movement) of the knee is limited, it can cause in- creased stress on the entire lower extremity. Lack of movement in the hip, foot, or ankle also may be forcing the knee to work at a disadvantage. Our physical therapists may teach stretching techniques to decrease tension and help restore the normal motion of the joints. These will focus on joints from the pelvis/hip region down to the foot.

Manual Therapy. We may treat the condition by applying hands-on treatments (manual therapy) to gently move the muscles and joints. These techniques help to restore and improve proper motion. They also may be used to guide the joints into a less stressful movement pattern. Our DPTs may provide gentle resistance as the patient performs certain movements, to improve their strength.

Muscle Strengthening. Muscle weaknesses or imbalances can cause some knee conditions and continued symptoms. Based on the patients specific condition, our DPTs will design a safe resistance program for your patient. This program likely will include exercises to strengthen the core (midsection) and the lower extremities. They may begin a program with exercises done while lying on a table, bed, or the floor. Then may advance to exercises performed in a standing position (e.g., standing squats). We will choose what exercises are right for your patient based on their age and physical condition. They may have need to use resistance machines in the clinic, and advise them on what equipment to use at home or at the gym.

Functional Training. Once the pain, strength, and motion improve the patient will need to safely and slowly return to more demanding activities. It is essential to learn safe, controlled movements so they can minimize the stress on their knee. Based on their unique condition and goals, our physical therapists will provide your patient with a series of activities to help them use and move their body correctly and safely.