hip and knee pain relief physiotherapy

Get Rid of Your Hip and Knee Pain With Our Safe and Effective Movement Methods

Does instability in your hips and knees make you feel as if you may collapse without warning? Do sharp pains in those areas make daily tasks challenging? Is standing up after prolonged periods of time difficult for you? If so, the Vitality Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre can help.

It is no secret that hip and knee pain can create limitations in your daily life. With physiotherapy, you can relieve your pain in the easiest, safest, and most comfortable way possible. If you are looking to get rid of your hip and knee pain, contact us today to learn more about our safe and effective physiotherapy services!

Why do I have hip or knee pain?

The hips and knees are two very different types of joints: the hips are ball-and-socket joints that act as a support for your upper body weight, while the knees are hinge joints that allow for the forward-and-backward motions within the joint. Believe it or not, the knees actually support more of your weight than the hips do, as they allow you to stand, walk, run, dance, etc. Your hips and knees rely on numerous muscles and tissues to maintain their proper function and mobility, and when things aren’t working correctly, you may experience hip or knee pain.

People can experience hip and knee pain together or separately. The hip and knee joints work in together to provide the optimum function for the lower extremities; however, sometimes a condition resulting in pain with these joints can cause their function to go awry.

Sometimes hip or knee pain originates within the respective joint; however, it is also possible that the pain you feel in your hip or knee may be rooted in a different part of the body. For example, a problem with the hip joint may transmit a pain signal to the knees, and vice versa. Since the hips and knees are both parts of the same kinetic chain, they make up a combination of weight-bearing joints that must function together in harmony in order for your body and posture to function properly. If one part of the kinetic chain is out of balance, stress may be placed on another joint.

Common conditions leading to hip and knee pain:

The structures in your hips and knees are very similar, therefore they can be subject to many of the same injuries, stress, disorders, deterioration, and diseases. Some of the most common causes of hip and knee pain include:

  • Cartilage injuries. Cartilage injuries can affect both the hips or knees. For example, hip pain can be caused by cartilage injuries known as labral tears, while inflammation of the bursa sacs, known as bursitis, is a specific condition that impacts the knee joint.
  • Acute injuries. These are common in both hips and knees, such as sprains, strains, and dislocations.
  • Overuse injuries. Several overuse injuries, including muscle strains and tendonitis, are common in both hips and knees. This is because the joints both experience constant use.
  • Gait or stance imbalances. These can cause abnormal stress and premature wear-and-tear on your hips and knees, which can result in painful symptoms of arthritis.
  • Weak or tight muscles. If you have a weak gluteus medius muscles and tight hip flexor muscles, this can cause the hip to rotate inward without you realizing it. Because of this, abnormal stress can be put on the knees, resulting in painful conditions, such as patellofemoral stress syndrome or iliotibial band friction syndrome.
  • Referred pain. Pain may also develop as a result of referred pain from a pinched sciatic nerve since the nerve travels through both areas.

Contact Vitality Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre today!

If you have one of the conditions listed above or a different condition that is causing your hip or knee pain, contact Vitality Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre today. One of our dedicated Vitality physiotherapists will examine your hips and knees to check for any structural damage, in addition to evaluating your gait, stance, posture, and range of motion. This will help compile important information for creating the best possible treatment plan for your needs. Treatment plans will focus on relieving pain, normalizing joint function, and relieving any abnormal stresses on your hips and knees.

Your treatment plan will include targeted stretches and exercises, aimed at stabilizing any weak hip and/or knee issues. You may be prescribed with additional treatments as our Vitality physiotherapist deems fit, including hands-on therapy, massage therapy, shockwave therapy, or other soft tissue treatments. These are all aimed at alleviating your pain and promoting the healing of your damaged hip and/or knee issues.

If you have been limited by your hip and/or knee pain, schedule a consultation with one of our Vitality physiotherapy offices today. We’ll provide you with the best methods for getting rid of your pain, so you can get back to your life!

FAQs

What causes knee pain?

Your knees are hinge joints that allow for the forward-and-backward motions within the joint. The knee is one of the largest joints in your body, made up of a complex system of bones, tendons, and ligaments. Because of this, the knee can be easily injured due to overexertion or repetitive motions. Additionally, knee pain can be caused due to an underlying ailment. Some of the most common causes of knee pain are sprains, strains, fractures, tears, dislocation, tendinitis, bursitis, and arthritis.

What can I do to relieve knee pain?

There are some actions you can take on your own to relieve your knee pain, including wearing properly fitted shoes, using hot and cold remedies, stretching, and taking breaks from physical activity when noticing painful flare-ups. However, physical therapy is the best way to find consistent, long-lasting relief for your knee pain. Through manual therapy, strength training, flexibility training, balance training, and pain-specific exercises, physical therapy can get your knees moving comfortably once again.

How do I get rid of knee pain?

Frequently consulting with a physical therapist is the best way to continually manage your knee pain. Having a regular physical therapy checkup ensures that your joints are working at their peak performance. In addition, any problems will be discovered early, preventing the onset of arthritis and joint injury. If you do have arthritis or have had surgery, then a regular physical therapy check-up is especially important, in order to make sure that your knee pain remains at bay.

How do you diagnose knee pain?

Our physical therapists will examine your knee for signs of misalignment or structural damage, in addition to examining your stance, posture, gait, and range of motion. If needed, additional tests (such as x-rays) may be conducted. This will help determine the cause of your knee pain so we can treat it accordingly. After your initial evaluation is complete, your physical therapist will prescribe a physical therapy plan specifically for you, aimed at relieving unnatural stresses and strains, and normalizing your joint function.

Physiotherapists are located at our 4 clinics in Ottawa, Riverside South, Findlay Creek, Kemptville, and Kanata.

If you are unsure if physiotherapy is right for you, book here a complimentary 15-minute discovery session with a physiotherapist to help answer any questions you may have as well as determine what therapy is right for you.

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