Knee Pain

This is one of the most common complaints we treat at Ealing Physiotherapy. Runners knee, meniscus tears, anterior cruciate ligament tear, medial and lateral collateral ligament tears - the list goes on!

Articular cartilage

There are different areas within the knee that result in achy knees, most commonly due to osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (see separate paragraph) is wear and tear of the articular cartilage. This is a covering over the end of the bones that form a joint and makes the joint surfaces run smoothly.

Meniscus cartilage

The other cartilage is the meniscus. There are two of them: medial meniscus (on the inside) and the lateral meniscus (on the outside). They are moon shaped discs hat act as shock absorbers and reduce the stress on the articular cartilage. Damage to the menisci can predispose you to osteoarthritis. But it is not the only cause.

Kneecap Pain

Pain can also arise from behind the patella (kneecap). This occurs due to excessive rubbing or irritation of the patella against the underlying bone. Pain is aggravated when walking downstairs, sitting for long periods and kneeling. Physiotherapy involves identifying the biomechanical factors such as tightness of muscles causing compression of the patella against the rest of the knee joint, abnormalities of the foot such as flat feet, ankle and knee etc. responsible for the irritation.

Knee pain treatments

To get to the root of the problem treatment aims at addressing the underlying biomechanical dysfunctions such as back and pelvic problems that cause poor movement patterns or overpronated feet (flat feet) causing strain on the medial side of the knee. There will be a fair amount of manual therapy (hands-on massage, mobilisation of stiff joints, acupuncture to reduce pain etc) and lots of rehab exercises, both in the clinic and at home. Don't leave symptoms for long - the sooner you get seen the faster you get better. It takes longer and requires more sessions to treat a long term chronic problem than if you nip it in the bud.

For more information on the conditions we treat and services we offer, or to book an appointment please call
020 8847 1887 or email us at reception@ealingphysio.co.uk