Knee pain, a common occurrence amongst most of the UK population presents to us at Rugby Physio on a regular basis. Knee pain can vary between a problem being inside the knee or a problem being on the outside of the knee. Commonly, it is a combination of both, and knees most often improve with physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is the most evidence based non-invasive treatment for mending your poorly knee.
In some cases, you may need to see a surgeon if your knee begins in lock and feel unstable. An MRI scan will determine if there is a need for surgical management.
So how does physiotherapy mend your knee pain?
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How does Physiotherapy help your knee pain? The doctor says I have:
- Arthritis
- A tear of the cartilage or ACL
These are commonly what we hear as Physios. But the truth is, as physios, we must do our own assessments and diagnostic work to figure out what is actually wrong with your knee.
Lets break it down
Arthritis
This is a normal aging process we all go through, including physiotherapists and doctors. Think of it as though you are getting wrinkles as you age or grey hairs. This is normal.
Not all knee arthritis needs to surgery. Surgery is determined on certain factors. If you have very limited range of movement, severe pain and debilitated and your knee X-Ray correlates with your physical assessment findings, and you’re in the right age bracket, then off you go to the surgeon. Rugby Physio has strong links with local knee surgeons.
However, if you have some mild moderate arthritis with less severe pain, physio can help. Manual techniques such as joint and soft tissue manipulation, acupuncture/dry needling, focused strengthening programmes and lifestyle alterations can help improve your knee and get you back to what you enjoy. At Rugby Physio, our physiotherapists have years of experience in cultivating cutting edge skills in knee rehabilitation.
Tears
This can be divided into two categories. You could have a degenerative tear or an acute tear. The latter would need an MRI scan. If your knee was locking or feeling unstable, then a surgeon would be more appropriate for you. If there is no locking or instability, then you would improve with guided specialised physiotherapy.
Why are scans and X-rays appropriate or not appropriate
X-rays are not often recommended for routine knee pain unless there has been significant trauma (to rule out a fracture) or there is consideration for referral to see a knee surgeon for surgery.
Scans are only used if it will change the treatment pathways. For example, if you need surgery rather than physio because of an acute tear. Scans and X-rays are only part of the puzzle.
Physiotherapist can assess and diagnosis your knee pain without scans or X-Rays. A physiotherapists examination can determine if a scan or X-Ray is needed for your knee. Alternatively, it can determine what is wrong with your knee and then design an appropriate rehabilitation programme to address the problems.