Village Physiotherapy
Hip and Knee Expert Treatment
If you are experiencing hip or knee pain which may be a long lasting complaint or an acute onset due to an accident or perhaps your requiring rehabilitation following knee or hip surgery we can help. Our practice is based in Adare Village, but we can provide relief for patients living across Limerick county and the surrounding area.
Village Physiotherapy
Expert in Treating Hip & Knee Pain
Is your quality of life suffering because of hip and knee pain? Without the right diagnosis and treatment you could find yourself struggling to walk, go for a hike, do the gardening, and many other things you take for granted. Often as your pain increases it can affect your ability to remain physically active. You may even feel pain in other parts of your body as a result of not treating your hip and knee pain.
Pick up the phone to book a treatment or consultation at Village Physiotherapy Limerick and Sports Clinic. We will identify the root cause of your problem. After an initial consultation, we will be to identify the root cause of your problem. From there, we will be able to provide you with an effective treatment plan which may include hands on treatment and an exercise program. Our ultimate aim is to get you back doing those things you may be struggling to do pain free such as walking or gardening and to prevent any recurrence of the symptoms ensuring you get long lasting relief from your symptoms.
5 Symptoms of Hip and Knee Pain You Shouldn’t Ignore
If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms you shouldn’t ignore them
Not being able to enjoy your normal activities of daily living
If, for example, you’re unable to do the activities you normally enjoy such as walking, playing golf, cycling, playing football or tennis.
If the pain you’re experiencing is worse at night and interferes with your sleep.
It’s not uncommon for pain caused by inflammation to increase at night. If hip and knee pain is affecting your sleep it is important you treat it effectively.
A catching or locking sensation in your hip or knee joint
If you notice that your hip or knee is locking or catching, it may be a sign that you are experiencing a problem with the cartilage in your hip or knee.
Difficulty doing simple tasks.
Some people experiencing hip and knee pain struggle to do simple tasks such as putting on their shoes or bending down.
Hip pain that radiates to the groin or knee.
Your hip joint can often cause pain to radiate to the groin or knee. Often people with a hip problem may not have any hip pain but may in fact be experiencing knee pain. Your Physiotherapist will be able to assess your hip or knee to determine the exact source of your pain.
Causes of Hip and Knee Pain
Hip and knee pain can be very debilitating. Even the mildest of hip pain and knee pain can make every step you take uncomfortable. Some of the most common underlying causes of hip and knee pain are:
Pain Caused By Arthritis
The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis occurs over period of time as the protective lining (cartilage) that covers the ends of the bones where they meet to form joints gradually wears away. This breakdown of cartilage causes the bones to rub against each other. This may result in pain, stiffness, the loss of movement and the formation of bony overgrowths (spurs). Pain from hip osteoarthritis is often felt in the groin area and front of the thigh and may also refer to the knee. Stiffness may be worst after periods of inactivity. People will often report difficulty as well as pain with activities such as putting on their shoes and socks, walking or sitting in very low chairs.
Physiotherapy plays an important role in the management of hip or knee osteoarthritis. By improving strength, mobility and increase range of motion, Physiotherapy can help relieve pain and restore normal movement in your hips and knees. Patient exercise programmes have been shown to decrease pain and improve function in people suffering with hip and knee osteoarthristis.
Tendinitis/Tendonapathy
The largest ball-and-socket joint in your body is your hip. Its primary role as a weight bearing joint is to absorb load which is transmitted through the hip joint with activities such as walking, running etc.
Some of the more common types of tendon pain or tendonopathy include gluteal tendonopathy which often cause lateral hip pain, proximal hamstring tendonopathy which can cause buttock or posterior hip pain and hip flexor tendonopathy which can cause anterior hip pain. Patellar tendonopathy often referred to as jumpers knee can cause anterior knee pain.
Excessive tension resulting from high force or repetitive activities can lead to the development of the hip or knee tendon pain. Tendon pain affecting your hips or knees typically occurs with the onset of weight bearing activities such as walking, running, climbing a flight of stairs or jumping. The pain is usually worse first thing in the morning.
The likelihood of suffering from tendon pain increases with age because as we age our tendons typically weaken. Anyone can suffer with tendon pain but it seems to be more common in adults over 40 years old. As tendons age they tolerate less stress, are elastic and are easier to tear.
Research has shown that exercise provides the best long term outcomes for tendon pain. An exercise program that specifically aims to strengthen the muscles which support your hip joint and improve the health of your tendon is essential as well as exercise that improve your movement patterns. Being shown how to control loads across your tendon are vital strategies in long term management of this condition.
Here at Village Physiotherapy Limerick and Sports Clinic, we will provide you with a tailor made exercise program to ensure long term management of this condition and to ensure your return to being able to walk or run pain free.
Labral Tears
The labrum is the ring of cartilage that surrounds the hip socket and ensures the ball of your femur (thighbone) stays in place. When labrum tears it can cause pain in the hip or groin and cause limited hip movement, creating a sensation of locking, catching or clicking within the hip.
The injury is common in people with anatomic abnormalities that make the hip too shallow or those who previously injured their hips.
Bursitis
Can Hip and Knee Pain be Related?
The simple answer is yes it can. When it comes to your knees there’s a lot that can go wrong, but one of the most common sources of pain in the knee is caused by issues in the hip.
Why? Because your hip muscles, like the gluteus medius, control the position of your knees when you are walking, running, or jumping. Pain in the knee can be caused by many things including arthritis, trauma, or repetitive strain. Knee pain is a common running injury, and it may limit your ability to walk, run, or climb stairs. If you have knee pain your Physiotherapist should also be checking your hips. If they are not assessing your hips here is why they should be.
To understand the connection between knee pain and your hips, you must first understand some basic anatomy. The hip is a ball and socket joint and is a major weight-bearing joint in the body. There are also many muscular attachments around the hips that help control the motion of your hip joint. One of the primary muscle groups around your hips that can be a cause of knee pain is your gluteal muscles, namely the gluteus medius
The gluteus medius helps to abduct your hip and thigh, which means that it pulls your leg out to your side. It also rotates your thigh outward.When you are standing and walking, the gluteus medius is also active keeping your pelvis level.
You can develop weakness in your gluteus medius muscle. This may be caused by injury, but often it happens for no apparent reason and without injury or trauma. It is thought that tightness in your hip flexor muscles in the front of your hip may lead to weakness in your gluteus medius muscles in the back and side of your hip.
When your gluteus medius muscle becomes weak, it allows your thigh to rotate and pull inwards abnormally. This abnormal position of your thigh can put excessive stress and strain around your knee joint and kneecap (patella) which over time can cause you to develop knee pain.
Why Treating Hip and Knee Pain is Important
Regardless of your age if you are experiencing hip or knee pain that is preventing you going for a walk or doing your hobbies. You don’t need to continue to suffer with pain or become reliant on pain medication. We can help get you pain free so return toyour hobbies or sports.
Often hip and knee pain can be managed and treated successfully without the need for surgery or injections. Here at Village Physiotherapy Limerick and Sports Clinic we have the knowledge and experience to get you there.
Often people who have been experiencing hip or knee pain for a period of time may have been referred for an X-ray or MRI scan of their hip or knee and have been diagnosed with hip or knee osteoarthritis – commonly referred to as ‘wear & tear’. It is important to understand that a diagnosis of hip or knee Osteoarthritis does not necessarily mean that you need a hip or knee replacement or need to become reliant on joint injections.
Physiotherapy can help reduce your hip and knee pain. Physiotherapy can address the stiffness that may be affecting your hip or knee. We can also help you improve your lower limb strength so that hip or knee you once felt ‘wobbly’ or weren’t confident putting weight through you are now confident to get back to being able to go for walk or climb a flight of stairs without pain and without that feeling that your hip or knee may give way
Our approach at Village Physiotherapy Clinic is designed to focus on strengthening the muscles around your hip and knee so that your knee pain will be reduced for good and to focus on improving the range of motion of your hip or knee joint with effective hands on treatment. This combined approach will leave you feeling less pain with noticeably improved movement as a result getting you back to being able to go for walk pain free, go for a round of golf or get back to doing other activities you may even have considered impossible due to hip and knee pain.
Exercises to Prevent Hip and Knee Pain
Exercise is a very effective treatment for many knee and hip problems. Exercise can help to strengthen the muscles that surround damaged knees or hips, thereby supporting the joint and taking some of the pressure off it. The best available evidence shows that for non-traumatic knee and hip injuries, the best injury prevention and recovery strategies include graded leg strengthening exercises.
Your hips, for example, have to do much less work when it comes to supporting the weight of your body if your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles are strong. With many kinds of knee or hip problems, the largest antigravity muscles tend to be the ones to first lose strength. These are the glutes and the quadriceps. When creating an exercise plan the focus should be on strengthening these.
Exercising With the Help of a Physiotherapist
Book an Appointment Today
At Village Physiotherapy Limerick and Sports Clinic, we make use of a wide range of techniques to help patients suffering with hip and knee pain. Through detailed physical examination coupled with a history of the presenting problem, we have the expertise and knowledge to identify which structures are injured, weak or dysfunctional and work with you to formulate a personalised exercise program coupled with hands on treatment to assist with recovery. We also specialise in Sports Physio and Sports Massage.
Please call today to find out more about our services and to book an appointment.