There are certain areas of the body that just seem to be more prone to pain, and the knees are one of them. Ranking behind back pain, knee pain is actually the second most common musculoskeletal condition in existence, and it’s the single greatest cause for disability in the population aged 65 and older. This bothersome pain can interfere with your daily life, make it difficult to complete certain activities—especially for those involved in athletic endeavors—and can be a burden on your overall mood. But just because knee pain is common doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it.

Knee pain can arise for a number of different reasons and may be the result of performing the same physical activity for an extended period of time or a single injury. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that occurs when the protective cartilage surrounding the ends of bones in the knee gradually wears away, causing the bones to rub against one another. Runner’s knee, as the name suggests, is another type of overuse injury that’s common in runners, while jumper’s knee tends to affect athletes involved in sports that require lots of jumping. Since they occur over time, these are categorized as overuse injuries, and other examples include iliotibial band syndrome, quadriceps tendinitis and bursitis.

A sizable amount of knee pain is also due to traumatic, one-time injuries. Athletes involved in sports that require cutting movements such as basketball, football and soccer are particularly vulnerable for these types of injuries because they tend to push the knee to its limits. Sprains (which affect the ligaments,) and strains (which affect the muscles) are the most common types of traumatic knee injuries that cause pain, and in extreme circumstances, tears are also possible and require more intense treatment.

But on the whole, most knee pain can be treated non-surgically with physical therapy. At CAM Physical Therapy and Wellness Services, the goal of physical therapy is to help reduce pain, restore strength, regain function and make mobility easier. For patients that see us with knee pain, our treatment programs usually consist of the following:

• A full-scale evaluation of your pain—including a gait evaluation to assess if you’re walking properly—which will help us make decisions on your treatment program
• Strengthening exercises to build back the strength of weakened muscles
• Stretching exercises to increase flexibility of the knee and surrounding structures
• Ice and/or heat therapy, which will help reduce pain
• Ultrasound, which increases circulation and alleviates pain
• Manual therapy, in which the physical therapist uses their hands to perform a series of techniques to improve the mobility of the knee
• A home-exercise program to help you retain your improvements

If you’re experiencing knee pain that won’t seem to go away, we can help. CAM physical therapists in Hyattsville, Laurel, Glenn Dale/Bowie and Parkville, MD are experienced with treating many different causes of knee pain, and will work closely with you to get you pain-free and moving again in no time. Call us at 301-853-0093 for more information or to schedule an appointment.