Knee pain, what might be causing it?
The knee is comprised of several structures which may be contributing to pain and injury, the medial and lateral menisci play an important role in shock absorption and distributing hoop stress around the knee joint. These structures are comprised of strong type 1 collagen fibres.
Meniscus has a relative avascular nature meaning the poor ability to heal when torn in what’s called the red-white and white-white zones.
How do I know if my knee pain is from my meniscus?
Meniscus injuries are often seen in athletic populations because of sports injury/trauma; however, we can often see degenerative meniscus tears in younger to older populations in the absence of any trauma.
We usually see the pain and or tenderness around the knee joint line.
Reduction in knee ROM, especially in deep knee flexion
Night pain
Pain behind the knee joint with or without swelling
Catching, locking of the knee
Fullness or ‘pressure’ behind the knee
How do we treat non-surgical meniscal tears?
We use Manual therapy to help promote; Knee ROM, down-regulate pain, increase flexibility and promote normal joint movement.
Depending on the location and which zone the tear is we usually treat the knee considerately for 6-8 weeks through a comprehensive strength, flexibility, and proprioception period. To know more about joint pain and its treatment, Visit our website now.
