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Knee, Balance and Walking

Click on the body parts or the list below to find out more about your pain and how physical therapy can help.

• Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Tears

  About Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Tears

  The medial Collateral ligament (MCL) is an important ligament that checks the side to side sliding of the femur bone on the tibia bone in the knee. This ligament can be injured with sports or falls, especially with blows to the outside of the knee while the foot is planted on the ground. It is common for the MCL to be injured along with the medial meniscus.

  The MCL can be sprained which means it is still intact. Ruptured means it is completely broken. When a MCL injury involves a sprain, there is typically swelling that occurs in the knee and a feeling of instability with walking. Sprains are classified according to their severity with grades 1 through 3. Grades 1 and 2 are often treatable without surgery, while grade 3 is most often a complete tear and typically requires surgery.

  With a sprain, the ligament is overstretched and micro-tearing results, causing pain and inflammation. There is little blood flow to the ligaments and they get most of their nutrition from the joint fluid. This means, that their healing is a lot slower than most other tissues. Depending on the severity of the sprain and joint stability the potential for future injury can increase.

  With grade 3 PCL tears, surgery is most likely needed to repair. Physical therapy is vital to the rehabilitation after this surgery. Recovery does take time and the goal is to protect the surgery site, maintaining stability while getting back into walking and eventually running.

  How physical therapy helps

  Our physical therapists work with patients of all ages especially those who have sustained MCL tears through sports activities. We work closely with your physician to examine the stability of your knee after the MCL injury. There are specific tests that we perform to assess how stable the ligament is and what course of action is best to resolve your pain and return you to activities as soon as possible. Most grade 1 and grade 2 sprains can be rehabilitated without the need for surgery and our physical therapists will discuss your options.

  If surgery is needed for your recovery, rest assured that you are in the right hands for your rehabilitation. We work closely with your physician’s rehabilitation protocols. The priority is to manage your pain and swelling after surgery and gradually increasing your range of motion in the knee per your post-surgery protocol.

  As time progresses, we work with you to gain your strength back in the knee, improve stability of the joint, get you back to walking normally and eventually back into advanced movements including running. Call us today to discover how we can help you bounce back after a MCL tear.

• Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tears

  About Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Tears

  The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is an important ligament that checks the backward sliding of the tibia bone on the femur bone in the knee. This ligament can be injured with sports or falls, especially with blows to the front of the knee while the foot is planted on the ground.

  The PCL can be sprained which means it is still intact. If ruptured it means it is completely broken. When a PCL injury involves a sprain, there is typically swelling that occurs in the knee and a feeling of instability with walking. Sprains are classified according to their severity with grades 1 through 3. Grades 1 and 2 are often treatable without surgery, while grade 3 is most often a complete tear and typically requires surgery.

  With a sprain, the ligament is overstretched and micro-tearing results, causing pain and inflammation. There is little blood flow to the ligaments and they get most of their nutrition from the joint fluid. This means, that their healing is a lot slower than most other tissues. Depending on the severity of the sprain and joint stability the potential for future injury can increase.

  With grade 3 PCL tears, surgery is most likely needed to repair. Physical therapy is vital to the rehabilitation after this surgery. Recovery does take time and the goal is to protect the surgery site, maintaining stability while getting back into walking and eventually running.

  How physical therapy helps

  Our physical therapists work with patients of all ages, especially those who have sustained PCL tears through sports activities. We work closely with your physician to examine the stability of your knee after the PCL injury. There are specific tests that we perform to assess how stable the ligament is and what course of action is best to resolve your pain and return you to activities as soon as possible. Most grade 1 and grade 2 sprains can be rehabilitated without the need for surgery and our physical therapists will discuss your options.

  If surgery is needed for your recovery, rest assured that you are in the right hands for your rehabilitation. We work closely with your physician’s rehabilitation protocols. The priority is to manage your pain and swelling after surgery, gradually increasing your range of motion in the knee per your post-surgery protocol.

  As time progresses, we work with you to gain your strength back in the knee, improve stability of the joint, get you back to walking normally and eventually back into advanced movements including running. Call us today to discover how we can help you bounce back after a PCL tear.

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tears

  About Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tears

  The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament that checks the forward sliding of the tibia bone on the femur bone in the knee. This ligament can be injured with sports or falls, especially with blows to the knee from the side, while the foot is planted on the ground.

  The ACL can be sprained which means it is still intact. If ruptured it is completely broken. When an ACL injury involves a sprain, there is typically swelling that occurs in the knee and a feeling of instability with walking. Sprains are classified according to their severity, with grades 1 through 3. Grades 1 and 2 are often treatable without surgery, while grade 3 is most often a complete tear and typically requires surgery.

  With a sprain, the ligament is overstretched and micro-tearing results, causing pain and inflammation. There is little blood flow to the ligaments and they get most of their nutrition from the joint fluid. This means, that their healing is a lot slower than most other tissues. Depending on the severity of the sprain and joint stability the potential for future injury can increase.

  With grade 3 ACL tears, surgery is most likely needed to repair. Physical therapy is vital to the rehabilitation after this surgery. Recovery does take time and the goal is to protect the surgery site, maintaining stability while getting back into walking and eventually running.

  How physical therapy helps

  Our physical therapists work with patients of all ages, especially those who have sustained ACL tears through sports activities. We work closely with your physician to examine the stability of your knee after the ACL injury. There are specific tests that we perform to assess how stable the ligament is and what course of action is best to resolve your pain and return you to activities as soon as possible. Most grade 1 and grade 2 sprains can be rehabilitated without the need for surgery and our physical therapists will discuss your options.

  If surgery is needed for your recovery, rest assured that you are in the right hands for your rehabilitation. We work closely with your physician’s rehabilitation protocols. The priority is to manage your pain and swelling after surgery and gradually increasing your range of motion in the knee per your post-surgery protocol.

  As time progresses, we work to gain your strength back in the knee, improve stability of the joint, get you back to walking normally and eventually back into advanced movements, including running. Call us today to discover how we can help you bounce back after an ACL tear.

• Tendonitis

  About Knee Tendonitis

  The ending of the word “itis” is defined as inflammation. Therefore, tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon, which connects muscles to bones. Commonly, the tendon that connects your quadriceps muscle to the tibia bone (quadriceps tendon above the kneecap and patellar ligament below the kneecap) can become inflamed resulting in a condition also known as jumper’s knee. This thick tendon runs over the top of your kneecap and attaches to the tibia bone below. This structure can often become inflamed due to abnormal joint movements, poor posture and weakness of the surrounding musculature. This causes strain to the tendon with resulting pain during repetitive movement and especially with squatting or kneeling down. Other areas of tendonitis in the knee can occur such as the back, outside or inside of the knee.

  How physical therapy helps

  Physical therapy is the first line in conservative treatment for tendonitis. Most tendonitis is due to underlying abnormal mechanics of movement, walking and weakness. Our trained physical therapists are experts in evaluating your movement to pinpoint the source of the trouble. Modalities may be used to alleviate pain and discomfort, while hands-on therapy improves joint mechanics and movement.

  Finally, gentle strengthening exercises and joint coordination exercises help to restore stability to the affected area and prevent re-occurrence of symptoms. To discover how we can help your knee tendonitis call us today!

• Meniscus Injury

  About Meniscus Injury

  The meniscus is a ring of cartilage on the lower part of the knee (the tibial plateau) that the end of the large femur bone rides on. The meniscus is responsible for providing cushioning and stability of the knee joint while guiding movement. It is connected on the outer edges to the thick ligaments around the knee. The inside part of knee (medial meniscus) bears more weight and often sustains more damage than the outside part (lateral meniscus).

  The meniscus is supposed to be smooth to ensure good gliding of the knee when it is bending. With injuries, poor alignment or weak musculature, the meniscus can become bruised and even torn. The outside edges of the meniscus have more blood flow than the inner portions. This means, depending on the area were the damage is located the healing process can be slow.

  Many times, meniscus injuries are mild to moderate and can be rehabilitated with physical therapy. However, at times surgical intervention may be necessary to clean and shave down the torn areas of the meniscus. Physical therapy is very important in the full recovery after this surgical procedure.

  How physical therapy helps

  Physical therapy is a very important part of recovering from a meniscus injury. Most injuries are mild and involve small tears, bruising or irritation. Physical therapy can pinpoint where there are limitations in movement of the knee joint and weakened musculature support. By pinpointing the mechanisms of injury, our treatments can focus on reducing your pain and swelling quickly. Then, we focus on improving your range of motion, joint mobility and strengthening to make sure your meniscus receives the necessary support.

  If surgery is necessary, we work closely with your physician and the rehabilitation protocol. The primary focus is on eliminating swelling quickly, resolving pain, improving range of motion, restoring normal walking and strengthening the supporting muscles around the knee. We then show you what to do to maintain a healthy knee with physical activities and sports. Call us today to see how we can help you recover quickly from a meniscus injury.

• Sprain / Strain

  Knee Sprain / Strain

  Sprains refer to injuries of the ligaments (connect bone to bone) and strains refer to injuries of the muscles or tendons (connect muscle to bone). Sprains and strains occur from quick over-stretching of the tissues causing micro-tearing and subsequent injury. Swelling begins as part of the inflammation process, causing pain and difficulty with movement.

  The first step in treating sprains or strains in the knee is to rest, ice and elevate it. With severe limitations in movement you should see our physical therapists right away. There are different levels of sprain or strain from mild to severe. In some cases, the tearing can be complete and even be in need of surgical repair.

  How physical therapy helps

  In most cases, physical therapy can effectively help you recover from a sprain or strain. We first evaluate the injured area to determine the extent of the injury and ensure that the ligaments or tendons are still intact. After we pinpoint the injured area, we formulate a treatment plan that will quickly relieve your swelling, pain and begin restoring range of motion.

  The goal of physical therapy is to restore your normal range of motion and eventually restore normal strength. If you participate in sports or are very active, we work closely with you to make sure that we help you fully recover and can participate in those activities you love to do. Call us today to discover how we can effectively treat your sprains or strains.