Pain disrupts your life. It can keep you from doing things you enjoy. In many cases, whether you sit, lay down, stand or move around, the pain remains. Pain in your knees can keep you from getting proper sleep and strip the enjoyment from your life. However, have you asked how physical therapy near me can help you manage and reduce your pain?
Causes of Chronic Knee Pain
Medical conditions, such as arthritis, cysts, infections and gout, can cause knee pain, but most pain is the result of an injury. If you have torn or ruptured cartilage or ligaments, damaged your knee cap or otherwise received a knee injury, the pain can persist, particularly if you did not receive proper treatment or complete your treatment plan. In addition, your weight, posture and other factors can cause knee damage that results in chronic pain.
You can also damage your knees if you do not properly stretch and warm up before strenuous exercising. Overworking your body can also cause damage to your soft tissues, including your muscles.
Solutions for Chronic Knee Pain
For chronic pain, the best solution is physical therapy Moorestown NJ. However, there are things you can do to manage your pain. First, you can reduce the weight on your knee. This requires changing your lifestyle to include healthy eating habits and exercise. Choose exercises that don’t put pressure on your knees, such as swimming. As you lose weight, you lift stress on your joints, relieving pain.
You can also use the RICE method, which consists of resting and icing your knee and using compression to support it. You can also use heat therapy. Braces and kinesiology tape can also give your knee the support it needs. Your physician may suggest nerve blocks, steroid or Botox injections, ketamine infusions, hyaluronate injections, synovial fluid replacements and glucosamine injections. Regenerative therapy may also be an option.
Acupuncture can help reduce inflammation, thus reducing pain, and it releases neurotransmitters that improve your nervous system. Finally, wear shoes that properly support and do not put additional stress on your knees. For example, avoid high heels.
Relieve Chronic Knee Pain With PT
As you begin physical therapy, you will learn what causes your pain. Your therapist should complete imaging on your knee to learn the root causes of your knee damage. Then, these professionals can create a customized treatment plan.
Your physical therapist can help you with several of these treatments, including showing you how to properly use a brace or athletic tape. They can also teach you about lifestyle choices that promote pain reduction. You can even receive ultrasound or electrical stimulation therapies in the clinic.
Your therapist will also teach you exercises, stretches and strength-building techniques. You will learn proper balance and gait improvement strategies. Physical therapy programs work well for those who do not want to pursue surgery or who are in recovery after surgery.
If you seek a non-invasive solution that can improve your chronic knee pain, seek out physical therapy Margate and talk to a therapist about how you can benefit.