KNEE PAIN
There are numerous painful conditions involving the knee. Below are a few of the most common conditions that a physiotherapist can help with.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Before we get into it lets break down the word patellofemoral, so we all know what we’re talking about. Patella is a term for the ‘kneecap’ and the ‘femur’ is your thigh bone. Together they function as the patellofemoral joint. The patellofemoral joint functions at it’s best when the patella (knee cap) slides up and down smoothly over specially designed grooves on the femur bone. Now to put simply, patellofemoral pain syndrome (or PFPS) is an umbrella term used to describe pain generated by incorrect movement of the patellofemoral joint and potentially the surrounding tissue.
PFPS, for the most part, is due to the patella not sliding smoothly with the groove. This results in excessive loads placed on specific parts of the patella rather than load being evenly distributed across the whole joint. This uneven load through the patellofemoral joint is what causes the knee to become irritated when doing tasks such as walking, stair climbing or prolonged sitting.
Changes in loading through the patellofemoral joint can occur for several reasons, and often it is due to issues elsewhere such as in the hip and feet. Weak hips and feet may result in the knees caving inwards, which in turn affects how the patella slides along the femur. In fact, there are numerous biomechanical issues that a skilled physiotherapist will assess and correct to help alleviate your knee pain. Which is why accurate diagnosis is key to achieving a good result. Although PFPS can be annoying and slow down your lifestyle, the good thing to know is our physios we can provide you with effective hands-on treatment, taping techniques and exercises to get you out of pain and back to doing what you love.
Patella Tendinopathy - Jumpers Knee
To make a long story short Jumpers knee is an overuse injury that occurs in the tendon of the knee, often seen in the younger athletic population. Tendinopathies throughout the body develop when there is a sudden increase in exercise and or tendon load that is beyond the structures ability to handle. In the knee this is often seen when there is an increase in frequency or intensity of sports such as basketball, volleyball, and tennis, or when increasing running distance and switching to more downhill terrain.
Effective preventative measures are based around managing your loading and exercise - be progressive when starting exercise again or increasing it, too much too soon is the main cause for Jumpers knee.
However, if you’re already feeling pain at the front of your knee with activity and you want resolution of this annoying knee problem then our physios can provide you with pain relieving taping techniques, specialized exercises to help heal the tendon and for really stubborn issues then we also have a shockwave machine. Speak with one our of physios today to help determine if shockwave is a suitable option for your condition.
Sinding Larsen Johansson and Osgood-Schlatters
These words may sound confusing; however, these conditions aren’t all that complicated. These conditions are the adolescent version of Jumpers knee (patella tendinopathy) and are due to overuse of the tendon in the knee causing irritation on the bone. As a quick side note, all muscles are attachment to bone via tendons.
Young children who are active in sport and have gone through a recent growth spurt are susceptible to developing one of these conditions. As an adolescent your tendons are actually stronger than your developing bone (this switches as you get older) so when combined with lots of activity, the bones that the knee tendon (patella tendon) attaches to can’t cope with the stress placed upon it and becomes irritated. As a result, inflammation may occur at the attachment points causing pain with sport, running, jumping, and walking upstairs.
So, what’s the difference between Sinding Larsen Johansson and Osgood-Schlatters?
Well both conditions come about the same way, due to overactivity, they just occur in slightly different spots. The knee tendon (patella tendon) at the front of the knee attaches to the bottom of the kneecap and to the very top of the shin. Sinding Larsen Johansson is when the bottom of the kneecap is irritated and Osgood-Schlatters is when the shin bone attachment is irritated.
Active rest from sport, icing and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can be useful in the short term, however mobility, soft tissue release techniques and strengthening exercises provided by our physios will help your kids get back into sport as quickly as possible.