What is Knee Pain?
Knee pain can be related to overuse where small stresses are repeated a large number of times without allowing adequate recovery, for example running too much too soon, or excessive jumping. Or injuries can be acute where the injury is caused by an impact or twisting. An overuse injury can also be considered to be acute if it is painful or inflammed.
What causes Knee Pain?
Knee problems can be the result of disease or injury.
Injury
Knee injuries can occur as the result of a direct blow or sudden movements that strain the knee beyond its normal range of motion. Sometimes knees are injured slowly over time. Problems with the hips or feet, for example, can cause you to walk awkwardly, which throws off the alignment of the knees and leads to damage. Knee problems can also be the result of a lifetime of normal wear and tear. The joint simply wears out over time.
Disease
A number of diseases can affect the knee. The most common is arthritis. Although arthritis technically means “joint inflammation,” the term is used loosely to describe many different diseases that can affect the joints.
How can we help?
At Davenport House, the physiotherapist and podiatrist work closely together to assess the biomechanical factors of the foot, ankle and knee, and address how these may impact on your knee pain.
As well as Physiotherapy, the Physiotherapist may recommend a biomechanical assessment with the Podiatrist who can prescribe orthotics to help relieve your knee pain.
Orthotics can improve knee pain in a number of ways:
- They can change the distribution of force through the foot and ankle, which can result in a change in the distribution of force through the knee.
- They can act as cushions to reduce the force through the foot and ankle, which can result in a reduction of force through the knee.
- They can change the alignment of the foot and ankle, which can result in a change of alignment at the knee.
