July 2018
By Jessie Couch Physiotherapist
Does Physiotherapy help with knee pain?
ffective treatment for any knee condition is based on accurate diagnosis. Physiotherapists are experts in musculoskeletal diagnosis and will help determine the cause of your knee pain. Once the cause of your knee pain is determined this will help to guide your treatment.
Physiotherapy can be effective for almost all knee conditions. Common conditions that are seen at the clinic are anterior patellofemoral pain, acute knee injuries including ACL and collateral ligaments injuries, ITBFS and tendinopathy. Where physiotherapy will not be effective is for any rare and systemic causes of knee pain such as infection or cancers. Otherwise there are many ways that a physiotherapist can assist you to having a pain free knee.
Your physiotherapist will be able to determine whether a scan is necessary. A scan is often ordered for one of two reasons. The first is to help determine the cause of pain, especially where the diagnosis is unclear and two possible options are likely. This will help to confirm diagnosis and help guide management. The second reason is whether the outcomes are likely to change your management. For instance if there is any structural damage is suspected such as an ACL tear or meniscal tear then a scan may be ordered to determine whether another health professional such as a surgeon is required to help guide management. If it is unlikely that a specialist review is necessary then your physiotherapist may choose to continue with conservative management.
There will be times where you will need to be referred on to a specialist. Your physiotherapist will be able to guide you to the health professional that you require, whether it be a sports physician or a surgeon.
One of the more common questions we are asked at the clinic is whether you need to be seen by a Physiotherapist or Remedial Massage Therapist. We often find that people benefit from an approach where both health professionals work simultaneously to achieve the best outcome. In regards to who to see first, the short answer is - it depends. Read on for a further guide to whether you should see a physiotherapist or remedial massage therapist first.
Physiotherapists have further training to help differentially diagnose conditions. If you are in pain, Physiotherapists are often a good first point of call to help determine the cause of pain and guide your treatment from there. This may include remedial massage therapy. Physiotherapy intervention often includes, exercise programs, manual therapy and most importantly advice and education regarding how to manage your current condition.
Patients who benefit from remedial massage can vary from sedentary office workers to full time athletes. Massage is a great way to keep the body feeling good and keeping aches and pains at bay. For athletes and weekend warriors alike, if you are currently participating in a high level of exercise, you need to be treating you body like an athlete and completing some type of soft tissue work. Remedial massage is a great way to accomplish this.
We also know that both these populations do also respond well to physiotherapy. At Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy our team works together to help determine what treatment is best for you and what will help with your long term well being. If one professional feels that you would benefit from another intervention we will let you know.
If you have any further questions feel free to contact us here at Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy and we can help guide you to determine the best knee pain treatment for you.
Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy
Melbourne Sports Physio has a range of qualified and experienced professionals who can help provide ongoing support and treatment. Our friendly team are located in across Melbourne in Essendon, North Melbourne and Blackburn South, and appointments can be made by calling or