Written by: Gwen Murphy, PT, OCS, Cert MDT
The roar of the crowd, the squeak of sneakers, the loud ring of the buzzer – you immediately know we’re talking basketball! But for me, these sounds were abruptly halted when I partially tore my PCL playing basketball in high school. Although my knee was swollen and painful, it was this instance that contributed to me wanting to become a physical therapist at all. Weird, right? In fact, it’s the physical therapy after my knee injury that gave me the confidence to not only return to basketball, but ultimately the reason I love working at NesinFIT and helping others return to their chosen sport or activity.
Enough about me, let’s talk about knee pain!
At NesinFIT, we see patients with knee pain ALL the time! This can be from your basic wear and tear, osteoarthritis or even an athletic injury. Sure we categorize knee injuries into two categories – overuse injuries and traumatic injuries, but what does that mean?
For example, overuse injuries are often seen with running and jumping sports. Unfortunately knees are often the victim of overuse and running can put your knees at risk but this can be explained.
Maybe as a runner you’re not focused on flexibility, specifically the flexibility of hamstrings and quads…
Or your hips are weak and your ankles aren’t as mobile… This all plays a part when it comes to the mechanics of the knee and can lead to injury.
Then you can have traumatic knee injuries. Think either a hard fall or an external blow such as an athlete getting struck on the outside of the knee.
Whatever the cause of the injury may be, we take each patient and evaluate their specific needs during the initial evaluation. We utilize manual treatment, flexibility and strengthening exercises and stretches to help restore strength and lower extremity stability. This can look like bodyweight squats or even calf stretches, but it is ultimately determined by your physical therapist’s findings.
We’re definitely not saying don’t play sports or exercise, but our main goal is for you to do it safely. If knee pain resolves or lessens within 5 minutes of doing said exercise you can continue; however, if it continues for greater than two weeks see someone or contact NesinFIT. Not only will our team be glad to help, but we’ll bridge the gap between rehab and fitness with you!
