A Guide To Knee Pain Physiotherapy In Singapore

Your knees bear the weight of your upper body and help facilitate efficient movement. However, over time, the intricate structure of ligaments, cartilages, muscles, and bones in your knees can undergo wear and tear, making everyday functions and activities increasingly difficult. As knee wear accumulates, it often leads to severe pain and functional limitations.

To address knee pain, understanding its symptoms and treatments is essential. In this context, knee pain physiotherapy emerges as a valuable solution. With specialised techniques, this approach can enhance mobility, reduce pain, and restore your ability to enjoy an active lifestyle. Before we dive deeper, it is best to understand exactly what knee pain is all about.

What is Knee Pain?

Long story short, knee pain is when your knee(s) start feeling sore. Although it is common and usually not a sign of anything serious, there are various causes that can cause knee pain. It is also not a secret that many of us suffer from various knee problems as we get older. Let’s first appreciate how a knee works.

The knee is a vulnerable joint that holds a great deal of stress from your everyday activities and is made up of three different parts:

Tibia – the shin bone or larger bone of the lower leg
Femur – the thigh bone or upper leg bone
Patella – the kneecap

The end of each bone is covered with a layer of cartilage that works as a shock absorber and protector. The knee also has 2 groups of muscles – quadriceps muscles (located at the front of the thighs), which straighten the legs, and the hamstring muscles (located on the back of the thighs), which bend the leg at the knee.

The knee also has tendons which connect the muscles to the bones and ligaments, tissues that connect bone to bone. The purpose of the ligaments is to provide stability and protection of the joints as well as limit the forward and backward movement of the tibia.

Causes of Knee Pain

Most knee problems are a common result of the ageing process, the continuation of wear and tear, as well as physical stresses on the joints. Other knee problems can be due to injuries or sudden movements that might cause strain. Such strains include:

Sprained or strained knee ligaments/muscles: - usually caused by a blow to the knee or a sudden twist of the knee.
Torn cartilage: - usually happens with sprains that cause trauma to the knee.
Tendonitis: - usually caused by overusing a tendon during certain movements like running, jumping or cycling. It is also known as a jumper’s knee.
Arthritis: - specifically Osteoarthritis, a degenerative process where the cartilage in the joint gradually wears away, is the most common type of arthritis that affects the knee.

Signs and Symptoms of Knee Pain

The location and the severity of your knee pain vary depending on the cause but here are some common signs and symptoms that usually come with knee pain:

swelling and stiffness,
redness and warmth to the touch,
weakness or instability,
popping or crunching noises, and
inability to fully straighten the knee.

You should immediately consult your doctor if you are suffering from these symptoms:

your knees cannot bear the weight of your body, your knee feels unstable or is about to give way,
marked knee swelling,
inability to fully extend or flex your knee,
obvious deformity in your leg or knee,
fever, in addition to redness, pain and swelling in your knee, and/or
severe pain that is associated with an injury.

Treatments for Knee Pain

Knee pain physiotherapy focuses on comprehensive healing, aiming to alleviate pain, enhance stability, reduce swelling, and address weakness. It goes beyond merely treating symptoms by targeting the underlying cause of knee pain, helping to prevent its recurrence. Some common treatments recommended by physiotherapists to address knee pain and promote recovery include:

PRICE

PRICE stands for Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate which are the initial steps you should take to treat your knee. This method reduces pain and swelling as well as speeds up the healing process of an acute injury.

Strengthening Exercises

Since muscle weakness is the usual cause of knee problems, strengthening the leg muscles is one of the best ways to treat your joint pain. Note that you should consult your doctor or physiotherapist before carrying out any knee pain physiotherapy routines if you’re already experiencing pain.

Medication

Over-the-counter pain relief medications like paracetamol can help reduce pain and provide relief immediately. For a more serious case, your doctor may prescribe NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Advil/Ibuprofen to help with the reduction of swelling.

Heat

Heat is usually used to naturally treat knee problems like arthritis as it increases blood flow to the affected area and reduces the pain sensation by helping your muscles to relax. Heat treatment would only be advised when your knee pain as past the acute phase.

Knee Braces

Braces are a great way to provide support, protect the joint, reduce pain and inflammation, retain heat and promote healing. Your doctor would usually suggest braces for severe knee injuries like those involving torn ligaments, torn cartilage or knee-cap dislocation.

Knee Injection

Injections are usually suggested for long-term problems like cartilage tears and arthritis. Two main injections that are commonly used are:

Corticosteroid Injections: - contain a mix of steroids and local anaesthetic which helps to reduce pain and swelling.

Synvisc Injections: - increase joint lubrication and can be particularly useful for treating arthritis.

Compression Bandage

A special elastic compression bandage that is used to reduce swelling and provide support for common knee injuries.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the common causes of knee pain?

Most knee problems are a common result of the ageing process. Other causes can also include sprained or strained knee ligaments/muscles, torn cartilage, tendonitis, and arthritis.
When should I see a doctor regarding my knee pain?
You should immediately consult your doctor if you are suffering from these symptoms:
- your knees cannot bear the weight of your body, your knee feels unstable or is about to give way,
- marked knee swelling,
- inability to fully extend or flex your knee,
- obvious deformity in your leg or knee,
- fever, in addition to redness, pain and swelling in your knee, and/or
- severe pain that is associated with an injury.
What can I do to reduce swelling in my knee?

To reduce the swelling in your knee, you can apply ice to your knee for 15 to 20 minutes every two to four hours. If the swelling does not subside, you should consult your doctor immediately.