Looking For Relief From Hip & Knee Pain? Your Search Ends With PT

As the cartilage in one’s joints begins to break down with age, the risk of experiencing chronic hip or knee discomfort rises. Anyone can acquire hip or knee discomfort as a result of excessive overuse, unanticipated traumas, or underlying disorders.

While surgery may be required to repair specific disorders, physical therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing discomfort and increasing function. In many circumstances, physical therapy can completely eliminate the need for surgery.

Your hips and knees are essential joints that work hard all day to give you the best possible function. They can also be common sources of pain and discomfort due to their complexity and constant use.

Common causes of hip and knee pain

When you schedule an appointment with Healthquest, the first thing you can expect is a thorough evaluation. Your physical therapist will examine you to figure out where the pain is stemming from. Common causes of hip and knee joint pain can stem from arthritis, overuse injuries, joint stiffness or joint mobility issues, excess body weight, poor foot, and ankle stability, or falls. But not all pain is straightforward, and that’s where your physical therapist’s diagnostic expertise comes in.

Some pain presents as referred pain, or pain felt in one place that is coming from a different area. For example, discomfort in the hips can occasionally be felt in the lower back, buttocks, groin, or the front or side of the hips. Each area of referred pain generally correlates to specific issues elsewhere. Knee pain can also be felt on the front or rear of the knee joint. If there has been a trauma to the knee, it can also be felt on the inside of the knee, or on the outside of the knee if you have iliotibial band tension.

Generally speaking, when it comes to pain it’s usually classified as one of three different forms of pain:

• Chronic – Chronic pain can be defined as any pain that lasts longer than two or three months. If you’ve been living with pain for that long, you should consult with your physical therapist or doctor.
• Acute – Acute pain is typically the most intense type of pain. It occurs after an injury and can last for about a week. A classic example of this is a knee sprain.
• Subacute – Subacute pain is typically felt two to six weeks after an injury. The affected area will still be painful, but it will not be nearly as severe as the acute pain of the first week. The treatment for subacute pain generally consists of gentle motions meant to increase your range of motion and facilitate healing in addition to a gradual strengthening of the area.

Let us help you find real pain relief once and for all

Don’t let your hip and knee pain continue to be a mystery. Our skilled physical therapists have extensive training for finding the root cause of your pain and developing an individualized plan to get it gone and keep it gone.

To help us get to the bottom of your issues and create a robust plan of care your assessment will involve the following:

• Range of motion tests. Your physical therapist will put your knee or hip to the test to see how far it can move. This aids in identifying the degree of the trauma, creates a baseline for goals, and provides your physical therapist with information on how to proceed with treatment.
• Strength tests. Testing the strength of your muscles of the affected joint as well as surrounding joints will give your physical therapist a better idea of what your body is capable of and identify any imbalances or deficits.
• Palpation. Your physical therapist will gently palpate your knee or hip to identify tender, inflamed, or painful tissues associated with your issue.
• Gait analysis. Your physical therapist will assess how you walk to determine if anything is out of the ordinary.
• Special Tests. Your therapist may perform specialized movements of your joints to better localize what tissues may be causing the problem.

Targeted stretches and exercises will be included in treatment regimens to relieve discomfort and improve function in the problematic hips or knees. As your physical therapist sees fit, other methods or modalities may be applied. Your progress will be continuously monitored to ensure that you meet your objectives as quickly as possible.

Find the light at the end of the tunnel with physical therapy

You’ll get the care you need at our clinic so you can get back on your feet! Schedule your free assessment today if you’re looking for a natural solution to ease your hip and knee discomfort.