Knee and Ankle Injuries

KNEE INJURIES

Knee pain can affect people from all walks of life, ranging from the young to the elderly, and from the elite to the everyday athlete. Knee pain may be in any area around the knee and can result from diverse causes such as sports injuries, falls, overuse (e.g. running or jumping) work injuries, general wear and tear (arthritis) or it may even be referred from another area of the body (e.g. the back).

As experts in the treatment of lower limb injuries, Hunter Physiotherapy have effectively treated thousands of Newcastle people with knee injuries since they opened their doors at Broadmeadow in May 1995.

We have been able to do this by conducting a thorough assessment of your knee pain and working out the cause. Once we know what the cause is we can specifically treat your injury to effectively relieve pain, restore full strength and range of movement, and gradually return you to all your normal activities and sports. We also advise you on the best way to prevent the injury from coming back in the future.

WHAT KNEE INJURIES DO WE TREAT?

Knee injuries we regularly treat include

• Ligament tears - Anterior Cruciate Ligament ACL

                                 - Medial Ligament

                                 - Posterior Cruciate Ligament PCL

•  Meniscal tears
• Knee cap pain (patello - femoral pain)
• Patella dislocations
• Arthritis and Total Knee Replacements
• Tendinopathies - Patella tendonitis

                                  Quadriceps tendonitis

• Post surgical rehabilitation
• Post fracture rehabilitation
• ITB Friction Syndrome

ANKLE INJURIES

Foot and ankle injuries are one of the most common presentations to Hunter Physiotherapy.

Whilst injuries to the foot and ankle commonly occur at work or in normal daily activities, people who participate in high intensity sports such as football, soccer, netball, tennis, gymnastics and dancing are more likely to suffer an injury to this part of the body.

ANKLE AND FOOT INJURIES

There are literally hundreds of foot injuries and ankle injuries that physiotherapy is able to assist.

Some of the more common injuries we treat at Hunter Physio include:

• Sprained Ankle
• Heel Pain - Plantar fascitis

                          - Achilles Insertional tendonitis

•  Achilles tendonitis
• Stress fractures
• Avulsion fractures
• Metatarsalgia
• Tendinopathies
• Heel and foot pain in young athletes.

SPRAINED ANKLE

The most common form of ankle sprain is an inversion injury (rolling the foot in) thereby causing injury to the ligament on the outside of the ankle. Damage occurs when the ligaments are stretched beyond their normal length and can't withstand the forces placed on them. The extent of injury can vary and is classified into three grades:

Grade 1: Stretching of the ligament

Grade 2: Partial rupture of the ligament

Grade 3: Complete rupture of the ligament

Symptoms can be immediate or delayed and may include:

• Difficulty / inability to weight - bear
• Pain
• Swelling/bruising
• Decreased movement

Early intervention can decrease recovery time. It is imperative to start ankle physiotherapy soon after an ankle sprain, the next day, if possible to decrease pain, swelling and bleeding around the injury and maintain your movement, thus facilitating your return to sport and daily activities as soon as possible. Assessment by one of the physios at Hunter Physio involves using clinical testing to determine the grade of the ligament injury, and any associated bony / soft tissue damage and allows us to assist in pain management and ongoing rehabilitation.

TREATMENT

At Hunter Physio, treatment of your knee, ankle or foot injury will include a combination "of hands on" and exercise based treatment techniques including

• Joint mobilisation
• Stretching
• Soft tissue massages and releases
• Biomechanical correction ( correction of foot and leg movement and alignment patterns)
• Orthotic prescription
• Sports - Specific Strengthening
• Electrotherapy such as ultrasounds, ice or heat
• Provision of crutches if required
• Provision of braces or cam- walker boots to effectively manage your injury.
• Referral for MRI or X-ray
• Referral to specialists if indicated

Our detailed approach to treatment and rehabilitation is particularly effective at resolving some of the more difficult knee, ankle and foot conditions.