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Knee Pain Treatment

November 11 | drsingh

Injuries, medical conditions, mechanical problems—all of these are potential causes of knee pain, which is why the condition is so common. Knee pain can affect someone at any age, and it can just as easily strike someone who is highly active as someone who isn’t, depending on the underlying source of the problem. In almost all cases, however, rehabilitation focused on strengthening, flexibility, and healthy movement patterns can improve your joint health and your comfort.

What Causes Knee Pain

If you’re experiencing knee pain, the first step is to determine the cause. Certain types of knee injuries are more common among athletes. For example, people who play sports that require sudden changes in direction, such as basketball and soccer, may be more likely to suffer injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), while runners and cyclists are prone to developing inflammation in the patellar tendon, which runs from the kneecap to the shinbone.

Arthritis is a frequent cause of knee pain. The most common type is osteoarthritis, which develops when the cartilage in your knee deteriorates from use as you age. Knee pain can also be brought on by physical problems such as a dislocated kneecap or iliotibial band syndrome, in which the band of tissue that goes from the outside of your hip to the outside of your knee becomes too tight, rubbing against the outside of your thighbone.

Determining the cause of your pain is crucial, because some injuries may require surgery to fully repair damage or medication to reduce inflammation or eliminate the infection. Whether your knee pain requires surgical intervention or not, physical rehabilitation under the care of a trained professional will almost certainly play a role in your recovery.

Knee Pain Relief

Strong muscles support your joints, keeping them more stable and reducing the risk of injury. However, it’s also important that your muscles be flexible, allowing a full range of motion because too-tight muscles can contribute to injury. Balance and stability can also come into play—if your muscles are not working together effectively, you may need to learn new patterns of movement to retrain them into new, better habits. Finally, depending on the cause of your knee pain, you may need to substitute new types of activities that allow you to exercise while minimizing impact and stress on your knees.

In rehab, your therapist will tailor your program of exercise to take into account the cause of your knee pain, your risk factors, and your treatment goals. If you play a sport or are otherwise physically active, your therapy may also include exercises designed to correct your movement and establish good technique in your chosen sport to take unhealthy stresses off your knees.

Rehab can also help you establish and maintain good habits for maintaining healthy joints when you have reached your treatment goals. This can include varying your exercise routines to include low-impact activities, improving your posture, building strength and flexibility, and learning healthy exercise limits so you don’t inadvertently overdo it. These habits are particularly important if your pain was due to injury because a previous knee injury increases the likelihood of having similar injuries in the future.

At Singh Rehabilitation, we have our own fully equipped gym in the Anaheim Hills for physical rehabilitation. Each patient receives private, customized treatment designed to improve strength, flexibility, posture, balance, and coordination as needed in our state-of-the-art facility. We work with you to reduce pain, restore function, and improve your overall health and sense of well-being. Whether you’re looking to return to peak athletic performance, recover from knee surgery, or resume simple day-to-day activities without pain, your program is individualized to help you reach your short- and long-term goals. 

Don’t let knee pain keep you from the activities you love. Singh Rehabilitation can help you reclaim a healthy lifestyle with a therapeutic program chosen specifically to address your individual needs. To find out more about our treatment options, contact us here.