KNEE, HEEL, AND FOOT PAIN AND CONDITIONS

What Causes Knee Pain?

Knee pain doesn’t have to be caused by anything happening in the joint at all. The knee is the largest joint in the body and it is affected by mechanics of the hip joint above and the ankle joint below. A physical therapist looks at the biomechanics of your entire body to evaluate where the root cause of the movement issue is coming from.

Physical Therapy for Knee Pain

Physical therapy treatment starts with the right knee pain diagnosis. This involves evaluating the hip and ankle and looking at both postural alignment and dynamic movement such as running and walking, and other symptoms and causes of knee pain. Then, your physical therapist will educate you on certain knee pain remedies, such as appropriate footwear, sitting and standing posture and exercises for knee pain.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Patellofemoral Syndrome, also known as “Runner’s Knee”, is a common form of knee pain that occurs in women 2:1 compared to men1. Part of the reason for this imbalance is women’s lower body alignment. Common knee pain symptoms appear with prolonged sitting, bending, standing up, walking, squatting or going up and down stairs.

Arthritic Knees

Arthritis is joint inflammation, caused by the cartilage padding between the two bones of a joint to rub against each other abrasively. Like in hands, you can develop arthritis in knees, usually when you’re 50 or older2—but sometimes you don’t have to wait that long to be struck.

Read our free eBook to learn more about arthritis of the knee.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

IT Band Syndrome is a condition where your IT band tightens gainst your knee, causing painful swelling. Usually you get it from activities like running or long, athletic bicycling that involve bending & unbending your knees in constant repetition, especially when you run downhill, or don’t prepare your body adequately with warm ups, or simply strain yourself too strongly3.

Shin Splints

Shin Splints are an inflammation where muscle meets bone⁴, and is usually caused by overworking your shins by exercising too much too soon, without proper warm-up. Having flat feet, known as “overpronation”⁵; stiff arches; or a fragile hip or weak ankles can make you more susceptible.

HOW TO TREAT SHIN SPLINS

See a doctor about other conditions, like flat feet.
Rest
Icing your shins regularly
Physical therapy

MCL, LCL, PCL, and ACL Injuries

MCL stands for “medial collateral ligament”.
LCL stands for “lateral collateral ligament”.
PCL stands for “posterior cruciate ligament”.
ACL stands for “anterior cruciate ligament”⁶.

A ligament is a band that ties the bones around the knee together. When it is pulled out too much, it can be torn, which can be caused by excess stress or a particularly hard impact⁷.

Treatment usually includes rest, wearing a cast or brace, and physical therapy.

Bursitis

Bursitis is when the fluid sacs called “bursae” become inflamatory. It can happen in all kinds of joints, including knees. For knees, it often happens due to kneeling for too long, such as when doing floor-cleaning chores, or from other diseases like arthritis.

You can usually treat knee Bursitis by resting, and you can better prevent them using safety equipment, like kneeling pads, or with careful exercise to keep your knees strong8.

More Conditions We Treat

Knee Issues and Pain
- Arthritis of the Knee
- Bursitis of the Knee
- Chondromalacia/Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome/Runner’s Knee
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome – Understanding Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
- MCL, LCL, PCL, and ACL Injuries
- Patellar Tendonitis/Jumper’s Knee
- Patellar Tendinopathy
- Shin Splints
Heel Issues and Pain
- Achilles Tendonitis
Ankle Issues and Pain
- Peroneal Tendonitis/Tendinopathy
- Posterior Tibial Tendonitis/Tendinopathy
Foot Issues and Pain
- Bunions
- Flat Feet
- Metatarsalgia
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Plantar Fasciitis – Learn Nerve Glides for Alleviating Heel Pain Known as Plantar Fasciitis

References

^ Beutler, A.; Boling, M.; Guskiewicz, K.; Marshall, S.; Padua, D.; Pyne, S. “Gender differences in the incidence and prevalence of patellofemoral pain syndrome”, Scand J Med Sci Sports, Oct 2010. Retrieved 23 Mar 2018..
^ American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “Arthritis of the Knee”, OrthoInfo, Jun 2014. Retrieved 23 Mar 2018.
^ PT., DPT., SCS. Stanley, L. “Physical Therapist’s Guide to Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS or “IT Band Syndrome”)”, American Physical Therapy Association, 10 Sep 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
^ American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “Shin Splints”, OrthoInfo, May 2012. Retrieved 26 Mar 2018.
^ PT., DPT., SCS. Budde, K. B. “Physical Therapist’s Guide to Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome )”, American Physical Therapy Association, 24 Oct 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
^ A. D. A. M. “Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury”, MedlinePlus, 5 Mar 2018. Retrieved 26 Mar 2018.
^ Cedars-Sinai. “Lateral Collateral Ligament Tears”, Retrieved 26 Mar 2018.
^ Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. “Bursitis”, Mayo Clinic, 12 Aug 2017. Retrieved 26 Mar 2018.

HOW TO TREAT SHIN SPLINS

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