Knee Pain Treatment in the Greater Phoenix Area
Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, and Fountain Hills
Approximately one-third of Americans report issues with knee pain at some point in their lives. Current statistics state that between 15% and 20% of men will experience this type of pain. For women, knee pain prevalence is approximately 20%. In all cases, knee pain restricts what a person can do. Simple activities, including standing or walking, become challenging, requiring the affected person to rest more often than they usually would.
Knee pain is often so debilitating that people choose to avoid activities they’d typically enjoy. Furthermore, working through the pain to engage in these activities can worsen the effects, resulting in further restrictions later in life. Pinpointing the specific issues causing knee pain can be a complicated process, with muscles, joints, and prior injuries all taken into account. However, confronting the problem at its source leads to alleviating pain and returning the knee to a full range of motion.
Knee Pain - Symptoms and Causes
Symptoms
Swelling around the knee joint, particularly in an area that has sustained a recent injury.
Stiffness, resulting in reduced range of movement. For example, patients may find that they cannot extend their knee fully without a painful sensation preventing them from doing so.
Strange crunching or popping noises can accompany knee pain. For some, these symptoms may occur before they begin experiencing the pain. Hearing odd noises in the knee indicates a need to visit a specialist.
Any redness around the knee can be a sign of inflammation that causes pain. The same applies if the knee feels warm when touched.
Weakness and difficulty balancing when conducting simple activities, including walking and standing.
Causes
Sprained muscles or ligaments in the knee can lead to persistent pain. These injuries are often the result of twists or direct blows to the knee. Sprains are usually accompanied by swelling, pain, and reduced mobility.
Tears of the ligaments that support the knee. For example, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common in athletes. The ACL connects the thigh bone to the shinbone, with a tear causing pain and limited mobility.
Issues with the kneecap itself can lead to chronic pain. A fractured patella is the most prominent injury. However, someone may also experience bone-related pain due to osteoarthritis, reducing the level of the protective cartilage on the ends of their bones.
Inflammation of the tendons, often a result of tendonitis, causes consistent pain. This inflammation occurs due to the overuse of the tendons surrounding the knee joint. “Jumper’s knee,” which is a condition that many basketball players struggle with, is a good example.
Knee bursitis also involves inflammation. Here, the bursae sacs that cushion the knee and allow free movement for tendons and ligaments become inflamed. The result is chronic pain, often combined with redness and swelling.
Turn to Physical Therapy Before Surgery for Chronic Knee Pain
Between 1999 and 2007, Canadian researchers conducted a study to examine how effective surgery is when combating knee osteoarthritis. The study involved 277 patients aged 18 or older with osteoarthritis measured between grades two and four. To ensure the study’s fairness, the researchers excluded people who had other knee-related issues, including arthritis, cartilage tears, and similar injuries that may have biased the results.
These exclusions led to 188 eligible patients. The researchers randomly assigned 94 patients to a surgical group that received an arthroscopic debridement and lavage. The remaining 94 people received physical and medical therapy. This latter group took part in a 12-week at-home program, followed by an unsupervised activity plan that lasted the remaining length of the study.
The researchers analyzed the participants at the 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month marks to measure their results. They used the WOMAC scale to measure pain levels using an index from 0 to 2,400, with higher ratings indicating more pain.
The results showed that the surgical group had an average WOMAC score of 897. The group that participated in medical and physical therapy had an average score of 874.
The study results indicate that surgical intervention does not provide better results than an at-home physical therapy program. Surgery seems to offer worse results, making physical therapy the best choice from an outcome-based perspective.
However, it’s not outcomes alone that make physical therapy a better choice. Any surgery comes with risks, including the potential for infection and doctor error. Other possible problems include allergic reactions to the anesthetic and medications used for the surgery. Beyond the dangers of the surgery itself, the side effects of surgical procedures can include blood clots, pain, and issues with wound closure.
These risks disappear with physical therapy as patients engage in customized exercise programs designed to meet their needs. Most health insurance plans often cover physical therapy, which is not always the case for surgery. Patients may have to spend thousands of dollars for a surgical procedure, even with insurance. Physical therapy has no adverse side effects.
OUR REVIEWS
Our goal is to provide supportive and effective patient care.
With the help of Liberated Rehabilitation’s team of certified physical therapists, patients create plans to resolve their specific knee pain issues.
These plans involve at-home care, making them more convenient.
Furthermore, the exercises included in the program focus on strengthening the knee to improve mobility and allow the patient to enjoy unrestricted movement while lessening their pain.