Knee Pain – Is It “Just Growing Pains”?

Does your teenager complain about pain in the front of their knees? Have you been told they have “growing pains” and it’ll just go away?  Have you been told you have arthritis in your knee and you should stop exercise?

This is just not true!!  Inaccurate advice like this can cost years of healthy activity and needlessly keep you or your loved ones from doing the things you love.

In a recent research update, world leaders in knee pain combed thousands of research articles to come up with updated clinical guidelines for Patello-femoral pain (aka runners knee, jumpers knee, netball knee etc).

Patello-femoral pain is felt at the front of the knee and hurts with sport, stairs, squatting and even sitting.

Some of the statistics are alarming:

• It affects people of all ages and is extremely common
• 29% of adolescents will get this condition
• Half of them will struggle for 2 years to do the sport they love
• Many will have niggling pain into their 20’s

The good news is that there are treatment options that are proven to help reduce pain, improve activity levels and get you back to sport. The ones with the most research evidence behind them are:

• Hip and knee muscle strengthening exercises
• Patellar taping
• Inexpensive, off the shelf foot orthotics if you have flat feet
• Patellar mobilisation and
• Lower limb muscle stretching

The combination of these treatments should be tailored to you by a Physio skilled in treating Patello-Femoral pain. Treatments with no evidence to support them are passive choices like laser, electrical stimulation, needling, ultrasound and definitely not waiting for growth spurts to finish before going back to sport!

If you, or a family member has had enough of putting up with pain in your knee give us a call or book online to get started on the road to recovery and get back to doing what you love.  We are here to help!