What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a branch of medicine that focuses on evaluating, diagnosing, treating and managing many physical conditions that limit your ability to move and perform functional and recreational activities.
Physical Therapy uses a variety of techniques to help manage your symptoms and improve quality of life using evidence based hands-on care, exercise prescription, treatment modalities, and patient education.
Benefits of physical therapy for chronic knee pain
Patients who have knee osteoarthritis (OA) often experience pain, stiffness, swelling, and weakness, resulting in difficulty or inability to complete daily activities. Knee OA can be the result of natural wear and tear, physical trauma, having previous surgeries, or aging. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, then physical therapy may be an excellent treatment option for you.
Your physical therapist will evaluate and develop a personalized treatment program specific to your condition and goals. Your treatment program may include:
- Range of motion and flexibility exercises to improve your ability to bend and straighten your knee and joints surrounding the knee
- Muscle strengthening including thigh, hip, abdominal and ankle strengthening
- Balance training to improve functional mobility, reduce fall risk, and prevent future injuries
- Manual (hands-on) therapy to manage knee pain with daily activities, reduce knee stiffness and muscle tightness
- Patient education to teach you more about your condition and what is causing your symptoms. This also includes guidance and education on appropriate exercises to perform and ways to modify activities you are struggling with due to your symptoms.
- Other treatments including therapeutic modalities including ice, heat, and acupuncture to assist in pain management
How is physical therapy included in the chronic knee protocol?
Eric Johnson, Physical Therapist
Osteoarthritis of the knee can be painful and debilitating. For thousands of patients we see every year at our Restore First Health practices, our specialized protocol of x-ray guided, hyaluronic acid injections supported with a customized knee brace has been life changing. Now, we are adding physical therapy for another layer of comprehensive care to our knee pain program within our offices.
Physical therapy will be a key component while you are either going through the injection protocol or following your injection series. During your physical therapy consultation, your physical therapist will perform an in depth review of your medical history and current symptoms to enhance an individualized care program. This is followed with a comprehensive assessment of your range of motion, strength, balance, joint mobility and overall function to guide further treatment to manage your symptoms and achieve your specific goals. As you advance through your injection series, physical therapy will continue to be available to progress and adjust physical therapy treatments as necessary, ensuring that your care is aligning with your desired goals.