The prevalence of patellofemoral knee pain or patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) in the US has been reported to be 22.7% of the population and in adolescents as 28.9%. It was reported that women have a 2 to 1 higher prevalence in the general population and 4 to 1 higher prevalence in the athletic population.
What is Petellofemoral Knee Pain Syndrome (PFPS)?
Patellofemoral (puh-tel-o-FEM-uh-rul) pain syndrome is pain experienced at the front of your knee, specifically around your kneecap (patella). It can often also be referred to as “runner’s knee,” and has a higher prevalence in people who participate in sports where running and jumping are involved.
What are the Symptoms of PFPS?
Patellofemoral knee pain can be a sharp and/or stabbing sensation in the knee that worsens when:
- Attempting to stand and walk
- Running
- Squatting
- Walking up or down stairs
- Sitting for long periods of time.
What Does Knee Pain Affect?
Knee pain can be particularly debilitating, as it can affect many of our activities of daily living including:
- Walking
- Standing up from a chair
- Playing the sports we love.
What Causes PFPS?
PFPS can be due to a variety of conditions including:
- Arthritis
- Muscle weakness
- Decreased flexibility
- Congenital bony abnormalities
- Overuse
- Injury
- And many other causes.
How Does the Knee Joint Function?
The knee joint functions through a complex relationship between muscles, ligaments, and bones. The knee joint is also dependent upon how joints are working above and below such as the hips and ankles. This is where physical therapists become the ideal provider to address your pain.
Physical Therapy Can Help
Simple treatments, including rest and ice may help, but sometimes physical therapy is needed to ease patellofemoral pain.
A physical therapist is a movement expert who has extensive education in anatomy and how your musculoskeletal system moves and functions.
Assess the Knee Joint
The role of the physical therapist is to assess:
- Joint mobility
- Strength
- Range of motion
- Coordination of the muscles that support your knee
- Interactions of the joints above and below the knee.
Then come up with an individualized plan of care that details the best course of treatment without surgery or the use of pain medications.
Conservative Rehabilitation Without Surgery
It has been stated that PFPS is a muscular dysfunction and that conservative rehabilitation is the treatment of choice. Additionally, an important factor in this conservative care is proper hip strengthening. Females have gender specific attributes that can addressed to eliminate or manage your pain.
Schedule a Knee Pain Assessment Today
During this assessment our physical therapist will determine if you have strength imbalances, tissue tightness, or abnormal joint mechanics and develop an individualized plan to correct these issues regardless of the condition causing your pain. This can help alleviate your pain without the use of pain medications or the need for surgery.
Our physical therapists at Rising Tide Physical Therapy can help lift you up out of your pain and debility to get you back to life without pain medication or the need for surgery. Find a location near you and schedule an assessment today.
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