Physical therapy can be extremely helpful for anyone. Whether you’re recovering from a recent surgery or you just want to gain more strength and balance throughout your body, you can benefit from seeing a physical therapist.
Visiting a physical therapy clinic can be especially helpful if you’re trying to heal from a meniscus tear.
CAN PHYSICAL THERAPY REALLY HELP A MENISCUS TEAR?
Yes! Frequent visits to your physical therapist can easily help repair a meniscus tear. But first, let’s break down what that actually is.
What Is a Meniscus Tear?
You have something called a meniscus in your knees; in fact, you have 2 of them. It’s a piece of cartilage that provides a cushion for your femur and tibia.
Simply put, your menisci help prevent your thigh bone and your shinbone from rubbing together.
You can tear your meniscus when playing high contact sports, like football, or executing an unexpected pivot in a basketball game. But tears don’t just happen to athletes. Even something as simple as rising too quickly from a squatting position can tear your meniscus.
How Do I Know I Have A Meniscus Tear?
If you are unsure if you’ve torn your meniscus, check to see if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Swelling in the knee
- Difficulty moving knee and having a normal range of motion
- It hurts when you touch the area
- Feeling as if your knee can’t support you
- Feeling like your knee is locking on you
If you feel like you have one or more of these symptoms, it’s probably time to get taken care of by a physical therapist — they will be the best person to help provide you with a treatment plan and get you feeling better and pain-free.
Treatment of a Meniscus Tear
The best treatment and care you can give yourself when something like a meniscus tear happens is visiting a physical therapy clinic. Doing so will allow you to cut to the chase right away and develop a recovery plan.
So many people dawdle around on an injury and just wait for it to heal on its own, or they try the old “tough it out” method. Our bodies are incredibly capable of healing themselves, but there are some injuries that need a little extra help for sufficient recovery.
Resting an injury is important, but building up strength in the injured area will help it recover quicker and make you feel stronger. An experienced physical therapist can help teach you certain exercises that won’t strain the injury and will help you regain mobility in your knee. Building up the strength in your injured area will also help prevent it from getting reinjured again, which can help you avoid expensive surgery.
However, if your tear happens to be severe enough, you may have to get surgery in order to repair it. Luckily, physical therapy can also help with any post-operative care you may need. A good physical therapist should be able to gently guide you through exercises that will help repair your injury and get you back on your feet. You’d be surprised what kind of exercises your body is capable of doing even after surgery!
WHERE SHOULD I GO?
Kelly Hawkins Physical Therapy has some incredibly well-trained physical therapists that have worked a number of years in their field caring for many different patients. Kelly Hawkins offers a wide variety of services at each location that are well worth looking into.
Contact us today and make an appointment at your local Kelly Hawkins physical therapy clinic.