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Knee Rehab
At first blush, it would seem that the knee is a simple joint to rehabilitate - it simply bends and straightens, right? Wrong. When your knees hurt, there are numerous structures that could be causing the problem:
- ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament)
- PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament)
- Collateral ligaments
- Meniscus, and Osteoarthritis.
At Yoshimoto Physical Therapy, our treatments and exercise precautions are specific to the type of injury you have.
While aggressive stretches are initially important, the method of strengthening your knee is crucial. This ensures proper knee alignment and muscle recruitment during sport activities. We maximize contraction of all the muscles of the leg (quadriceps, hamstrings, calf muscles, etc.) and to incorporate a variety of muscle contractions - including isometric, eccentric, concentric, and plyometric.
Our therapists incorporate both open and closed kinetic chain exercises to maximize strengthening while minimizing stress to the injured structures. Proprioception and functional balance exercises are also crucial to preventing re-injury.
While all athletes may incur knee injuries, teenage girls tend to be specifically prone to ACL injuries, due to body changes during formative years. This places additional stress on the knee - especially the ACL ligament - which is aggravated by running, pivoting, cutting, and jumping activities. While injury prevention is always key, knowing how to properly rehabilitate from an injury ensures a successful return to sports.
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