Knee Pain

Going about your daily routine can be difficult and tiresome when you’re living with chronic knee pain. Rainier Physical Therapy may be able to provide the solution. Our physical therapists treat many different types of conditions that cause pain. Let us create a personalized treatment plan that works for you.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament: An anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of the knee ligaments that join the upper leg bone with the lower leg bone. The ACL keeps the knee stable. Injuries range from mild to severe, such as when the ligament tears completely or when the ligament and part of the bone separate from the rest of the bone.

Knee Replacement: Surgery can help relieve pain and restore function in severely diseased knee joints. During knee replacement, a surgeon cuts away damaged bone and cartilage from your thighbone, shinbone, and kneecap and replaces it with an artificial joint made of metal alloys, high-grade plastics, and polymers.

Jumper’s Knee: Jumper’s knee usually affects the attachment of the patellar tendon to the inferior patellar pole. The tendon runs from the bottom of the kneecap to front of the shin bone. The term jumper’s knee implies functional stress overload due to jumping.

Knee Articular Cartilage: The lining of the bones where they meet another bone has articular cartilage. This substance is smooth and shiny to allow easy gliding of joints. Through injury and degenerative arthritis setting in, these surfaces become rough and sources of pain.

Patella Femoral Syndrome: This is a general term that refers to pain arising between your patella and the underlying thighbone (femur). It’s common in young adults, athletes, and also older adults who usually develop the condition as a result of arthritis of the kneecap.

Meniscus Injuries & Tears: The Meniscus is a piece of cartilage in your knee that cushions and stabilizes the joint. It protects the bones from wear and tear. Like a lot of knee injuries, a meniscus tear can be painful and debilitating. Unfortunately, it’s quite common.

Ligament Knee Pain: Your knee contains four ligaments: two collateral ligaments and two inside your knee that cross each other as they stretch diagonally from the bottom of your thighbone to the top of your shinbone. All arthritic joints lose cartilage. When the cartilage becomes worn or damaged or is lost due to disease or trauma, the joint no longer has a painless, mobile area of motion.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease: Osgood-Schlatter disease can cause a painful lump below the kneecap in children experiencing growth spurts during puberty. It occurs most often in children who participate in sports that involve running, jumping, and swift changes of direction — for example, soccer, basketball, figure skating, and ballet.

Prepatellar (Kneecap) Bursitis: Plumbers, carpet layers, and other people who spend a lot of time on their knees often experience swelling in the front of the knee. The constant friction irritates a small lubricating sac (bursa) located just in front of the kneecap (patella).

ACL Tear: One of the most common knee injuries is an anterior cruciate ligament sprain or tear. If you have injured your anterior cruciate ligament, you may require surgery to regain full function of your knee. Many people feel a “pop” when this ligament is torn.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome: The iliotibial band is a piece of tough tissue that runs from your hip down to your lateral shin/knee. If it’s irritated by overuse or other problems, it can get swollen and cause pain on the outside of the knee.

Shin Splints: Many athletes get shin splints at one time or another. While they often heal on their own, severe shin splints can ruin your game. This is due to lower leg muscle pulling and at times pulling away from the shin bone.

Contact our clinic to schedule an appointment – you’ll be able to speak with a physical therapist about your knee pain. We proudly serve patients of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, as well as those in Adams Township, Beaver, Economy, Freedom, Mars, Pittsburgh, Sewickley, Seven Fields, and surrounding areas.