By Robert France
Do you have knee pain when running/walking up and down stairs/sitting for long periods?
It is more likely than not you’re experiencing patello-femoral pain syndrome (PFPS) or in simpler terms anterior knee pain. This can be caused by a number of different structures within the knee and affect both young, active individuals and relatively sedentary people with no specific incident or traumatic event.
Signs and Symptoms
- Pain around or behind the knee cap
- Sharp localised pain with dull aching episodes
- Aggravated by walking up or down stairs, sitting for long periods, kneeling, squatting, running
Causes
- Muscle imbalance (weak and tight muscles)
- Poor biomechanics
- Increase in training load/intensity
- Starting a new sport or change of training method
- Footwear
Treatment
- Activity modification
- Kinesiology and rigid taping techniques
- Manual therapy
- Retraining movement patterns
- Specific exercises
- Pilates
Lucky enough, the majority of patients suffering from PFPS respond well with physiotherapy. If this sounds like yourself or one of your colleagues then book an assessment today with one of our physiotherapists at Pinnacle Health Group!