Rapid Rehab LA Pilates Based Physical Therapy Brentwood California

Most people can remember a time when they have had minor knee issues. Since your knees bear the brunt of everyday activities, and are easily twisted and “tweaked”, it isn’t any wonder that knee injuries can affect all demographics of people. From the weekend gardener to the professional athlete, any one who uses their knees in daily activity is at risk for developing a knee injury.

The most common cause of a knee injury is sports related. Any recreational activity that involves kicking, stopping, twisting, or turning heightens the chances of a strain. However, arthritis of the knees, Osteoporosis, the natural aging process, and poor health habits are also big factors in a knee injury cause. The knee is the largest joint in the body.

Since it is so, there is a cushion of cartilage surrounding the knee, which absorbs shock from impact from sudden changes of movement or weight bearing exercises. With the knee being the biggest joint in the body there is more cartilage surrounding the joint, and therefore creates a higher potential for tearing in some cases.

In addition to more cartilage, tendons as well as muscles surround the knee. Where the upper leg and the lower leg meet, the knee acts as the hinge between the two bones. The femur is the upper leg bone, and the tibia and fibula are the lower leg bones.

Ligament issues rank among the top types of knee injuries and happen quite often. When an athlete does stop short, or change the body’s direction quickly, sometimes the force of motion can cause for torn ligaments within the knee.

There are a few ligaments in the knee that can be affected by this type of injury. Familiar terms for what type of ligament is most often injured in this instance are the anterior cruciate ligament (which is commonly known as the ACL), the medial collateral posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Another condition called Chondromalacia is a great threat to knee health. Underneath the kneecap, a deterioration of the cartilage occurs which leads to a softening of the knee joint. This can develop from blunt trauma to the knee, muscular imbalances, overuse, or improper alignment of the kneecap. When “friction” is found in and around the kneecap, pain begins to become a part of the everyday routine.

With this condition, walking down stairs, hills, or bending the knee will always be followed by a dull pain. The uncomfortable sensation of “rubbing” that takes place under the kneecap will worsen as you age, as well as if you are trying to maintain the same level of activity previous to an injury.

An inflammation of the tendons can occur from overuse, this is technically called tendonitis. This cause of knee injuries will be accompanied by tenderness in the knee, right where the cap (patella) meets the bone of the leg. This is also called “Jumpers Knee” and sometimes happens from quick or sudden impact, movements, or just general fatigue. On the heels of tendonitis, if a tingling or burning sensation runs itself along the inside of the knee, it may be Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which is another type of knee injury.

Injuries to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), is the most common found in the realm of sports.  It has been estimated that somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 individuals have experienced some sort of damage to their ACL. The ACL has a normal range of flexibility, which unfortunately can be stretched beyond its ability. When this occurs a “tear” or “rupturing” takes places within the ligament itself.

This happens quite often in sports, usually when a played makes too sudden of a movement or puts too much stress on the area when an individual torques the body away from the a planted foot. Athletes that wear cleats are also at a bigger risk of a torn ACL, however surprisingly women make up a bigger percentage of ACL injuries than men. The biggest problem with an injured ACL is that they don’t heal themselves. This is one area of the body that will remain “loose” without proper attention.

A rehabilitation program for an ACL injury should include flexibility exercises, strengthening movements, increased endurance training, coordination integration and agility training. The goal of all ACL physical therapy treatments is to reintroduce balance between the two legs. The injured leg needs to be reinstated as a equal counterpart of the hip girdle before treatment can be exchanged for regular activity. The therapy itself will focus on strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee, to reinforce the area that has been affected by the non-operating ACL.

First of all, the initial stages of physical therapy will focusing on developing a full range of motion in the knee. This will be essential to the overall health of the injured area in the long run. After flexibility had increased, then strength training will be introduced into the program.

How fast an individual recovers from an injury is dependent upon an influx of factors. Age is a big factor, since healing becomes more difficult the older you are. Consistency in your rehab exercises is of great importance since that will be the key to a speedy and safe recovery. The health of the injured individual before the injury will also dictate the rate at which physical therapy will enable healing after the fact.

Another factor that will affect recovery time is if your ACL has or has not been surgically operated on. If the physical therapy is a post-surgical program it may be more painful and the rate of recovery will be slower. If it is non-operative therapy than it tends to be easier. However, with this injury most physicians will prescribe a lifelong rehabilitation program to keep the body in working condition for the years to come.

Instability may always be a concern with those that suffer from an ACL injury, but with the proper dedication to the strengthening of the muscles surrounding the injury, most people can continue normal activity within three years. This estimation is of course dependent on the seriousness of the injury.