Treatment for Knee Pain
Pathology
Patello-femoral pain is characterized by pain in and around the kneecap. It is a common complaint amongst sports people. It usually occurs after a period of running or walking up or down stairs, jumping or squatting. There may be some swelling occasionally, with a feeling of grinding or creaking under the knee and is usually more sore after activity.
A longstanding thought as to what causes patella femoral pain is related to mal-alignment and mal-tracking of the kneecap relative to the thigh bone during movement. This causes abnormal loading through the knee joint and therefore irritation of the underside surface of the knee cap. When the knee cap is pulled to one side and the tracking becomes uneven it can irritate the surface of the underside of the bone. This may be caused by weak quadriceps muscles and/or tightness of the structures on the outside of the thigh. Weakness of the hip muscles and poor foot biomechanics may also contribute to patella femoral pain.
Classification/Assessment
The team of Podiatrists at Pro Podiatry SA are highly trained in biomechanical analysis and are thus able to help identify the contributing factors and cause of injury. They are able to treat the impairments and provide appropriate advice and implement a thorough rehabilitation program to assist in preventing re-injury and improve the alignment and tracking of your kneecap during activity. Our Podiatrists are also trained in being able to assess your training or running technique.
Treatment
Podiatry treatment and management at Pro Podiatry SA focuses on correcting any abnormal biomechanics through orthotic prescription which is often an extremely useful adjunct to treatment of this condition. Our team of Podiatrists are able to customize orthotics to assist in improving biomechanical factors that may have contributed to the onset of symptoms in the first instance, and they will work in conjunction with our team of physiotherapists in devising a treatment regime to manage the condition.
Appointments with our Podiatrists can be requested by clicking here.