Physical Therapy for Knees

Your knees are weight-bearing joints that provide stability and flexibility for everyday activities. But as strong as your knees are, they tend to take a lot of abuse and punishment. The knee joint is located at the intersection of your leg bones — the femur, tibia, and fibula — as well as tendons, ligaments, and muscles. The bones at the joint are covered with a shock-absorbing material called the articular cartilage, which provides a gliding, smooth surface.

Everyday wear and tear, overuse, injury, and aging all contribute to swollen or noisy knees. Sports or recreational activities can also lead to short-term damage or longer-term chronic conditions. Physical therapy for your knees by a specialist improves your mobility and even prevents future pain and suffering.

Who Is Susceptible to Knee Injuries?

Anyone can develop knee problems because anyone can be involved in an accident and injure a knee. You may be at a higher risk of experiencing pain or developing conditions that require physical therapy if you:

• Have a family history of knee problems
• Work or play in activities that require heavy lifting or high-impact contact with others
• Had a previous knee injury
• Have a job or hobbies that include repetitive motions, such as frequent bending
• Suffer from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
• Have incurred a direct blow to the knee during sports or an accident
• Suffer from other contributing conditions, such as gout, lupus, infections or other diseases

Deciding on a Treatment

Once your doctor has diagnosed your knee problem, you meet with a physical therapist to work with your condition. Your therapy may include several different treatments to improve your recovery and return you sooner to your everyday activities.

Pain management is an integral part of physical therapy for the knees. Your doctor may prescribe pain-relieving medication or injections to accompany your physical therapy. Such treatments often include anti-inflammatories or medicines that treat arthritis or gout. Along with injections of hyaluronic acid, corticosteroids, stem cells or platelet-rich plasma, physical therapy decreases swelling and enhances healing.

What Does Physical Therapy for Your Knee Involve?

Most physical therapy sessions focus on strengthening the muscles around your knee to increase stability and prevent future injury. Physical therapy involves exercises, muscle stimulation, massage and even dry needling, all of which work to reduce your pain and increase your range of motion. You attend sessions usually once or twice a week for four to six weeks.

The exercises you’re directed to do in physical therapy for your knee are not difficult or aerobic. They are mostly simple exercises that stretch and strengthen the muscles around your knee to provide better support for the joint. But if you do them as recommended, you’ll notice the difference in your strength and range of motion. Some of the best physical therapy exercises for knees include:

• Heel stretches
• Quad stretches
• Hamstring stretches and curls
• Squats
• Calf stretches
• Leg extensions and raises
• Leg presses
• Hip stretches

All of these exercises are done without weights, although the presses require a resistance band made of elastic. With proper supervision, you learn to use proper form when doing these exercises. You’ll receive instructions for doing at-home exercises as well.