Anterior Knee Pain and Manual Therapy

Knee pain is a common condition in both the athletic and general population. The majority of patients with chronic knee pain will present with patellofemoral pain syndrome, or pain generating from the knee cap. The causes of this knee pain are likely multifactorial including physical activity levels, lower extremity strength and flexibility and alignment of the leg's bones and joints. If this pain is unilateral or affects only one leg there is a higher probability of an underlying cause creating these symptoms.

Patients' with this condition often present with significant hip and knee weakness on the affected side creating abnormal shear forces across the patellofemoral joint. Spefically the gluts medius and maximus are affected creating an inability to control the alignment of the leg during functional tasks such as walking and stair climbing. Recent research has shown the effectiveness of manual therapy interventions performed by physical therapists on patients' pain levels with these tasks. Iverson et al. compared the pain levels of patients performing squats and stair climbing activities before and after a manual therapy treatment to the patient's lumbar spine and pelvis. The authors demonstrated a significant reduction of the patient's symptoms on the same tasks following the physical therapy treatment (Iverson et al, JOSPT, June 2008).

Contact your physical therapist for additional information of the interventions available to you in the clinic or to schedule your first appointment.

Patellofemoral Pain - Knee pain

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is a general pain felt over the front of the knee, specifically under or around the patella or knee cap. Patients with knee pain commonly have weakened hip musculature which leads to additional stress placed across the knee joint. Recent literature indicates patients with PFPS demonstrate significantly less hip strength than an asymptomatic control group (Bolgia et al, 2008) in a January article within the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy.

Knee pain on one side of the body is a strong indicator of an underlying mechanical dysfunction or joint malalignment across the pelvis, hip, knee, or ankle joints. Additionally, these dysfunctions are associated with muscle imbalances which contribute to overuse injuries within the lower extremity.

Physical Therapists are highly trained, licensed professionals able to evaluate and diagnosis the cause of your chronic knee pain or overuse injury. Ensure that your physical therapist has advanced training in musculoskeletal evaluation and manual therapy treatment techniques to enable them to treat the causes of your problem not just the symptoms.