The Role of Physical Therapy After A Knee Injury

There are different knee injuries that you’ve surely heard about.  Some of them occur while participating in a sport, like football and basketball.  Those quick cuts and movements football and basketball players (and other athletes) make are almost always the culprit.  It can happen in any sport though… soccer, volleyball, lacrosse… the list keeps going. 

Then there are those knee injuries that occur without participating in sports.  It might be a car accident or a slip and fall that is the cause, or even something simple, like a random movement might lead to an injury.  

Whatever the cause, there’s a good chance physical therapy is in your future if you have a knee injury. 

Types of Knee Injuries

The knee is made up of muscles, cartilage, tendons, joints, ligaments, and bones, so you can only imagine the many injuries that can occur.  

• Dislocation
• Bursitis
• Tears
• Fractures
• Sprains

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and meniscus tears are some of the most common sports injuries affecting the knee. Patella (kneecap) fractures are less common in sports but may result from a high-impact trauma. Most knee injuries require immediate medical attention and some may require surgery.”

How Can Physical Therapy Help with Knee Injuries?

Your physical therapy plan will be dependent on your injury, and how severe your injury is.  Depending on your situation and if you need surgery, we may recommend pre-surgery PT to help aid in recovery, and then post-surgery PT for the same purpose. 

What works best for you might not be the best plan of action for someone else, so making sure you have a healing plan customized to your unique situation is crucial. 

Should you need strength training exercises, we like a plan similar to WebMD: 

You’ll start to work on making your leg muscles stronger, which takes some of the stress off your knee and cut your pain. Your therapist will give you exercises to do at home and show you how to practice them safely.

Strength training exercises are a key part of the PT workout. For instance, you may need to do some of these moves:

• Hamstring curls
• Single leg dips
• Step-ups
• Straight leg lifts
• Wall squats
• Balancing exercises

You usually start with just a few at a time and then do more as you get stronger. You may need to add weights to make your muscles work harder.

You’ll likely also focus on other tried and true therapies that include:

• Stretches
• Basic Movements
• Ice/heat
• Ultrasound massage
• Electrical nerve/muscle stimulation
• And of course, rest

The combination of all the above will have you well on your way to healing, and ideally, with a stronger knee than you had before your injury.

Physical Therapy for Knee Injuries in the Irving, TX Area

Do you or a loved one need physical therapy for knee pain or to help the healing of a knee injury or following knee surgery?  Our team of experienced, skilled physical therapists is here to help.  Give us a call to set up your first appointment at (214) 225-0291.