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Pain in the kneecap? Otherwise known as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

There is a delicate game of tug-o-war happening in your knee right now, and if the teams are tied, you’ll be feeling pretty good.  If not, pain on the front or medial part of the knee or kneecap can be a problem across all age groups, from children to the elderly.

To bend and straighten properly, your kneecap must slide perfectly along its groove. If it is not tracking properly, then you might get pain with stairs, running, jumping, or even just walking or standing after you’ve been sitting.  This picture shows some of the muscles that need to stay in balance…

Lateral Medial Directed Forces

Most tracking issues happen when the knee cap gets pulled toward the outside.  Commonly the outer muscles are too tight (ex. IT Band and Hip Flexors), and the inner muscles aren’t strong enough (Inner Quadriceps).

Often, these knee problems don’t even start from the knee itself and originate with imbalances in the ankles and/or hips.

  • Stiff ankles or over-pronating feet will cause the knee to cave in slightly with activity
  • Relatively weak hips will not be able to keep the knees aligned over the feet

All of this leads to improper tracking of the knee cap!

Try doing a squat in front of the mirror. What does it look like?

Squat

Too easy? What about on one leg? It happens to some degree with every step.

HOW DO YOU FIX IT??

Complete recovery will require 4 stages:

1 – Identify and eliminate (or greatly reduce) the aggravating activity! To give your knee a chance to heal properly.  Ice can help in this stage if there is some inflammation.

2 – Stretch and foam roll (the tight parts)! This will be your calves, hip flexors, IT Band, quadriceps, and sometimes hamstrings.

3 – Strengthen (when not painful to do so)! This will be your glutes (side and back of the hips), inner quads, and sometimes your feet and core. Start light and gradually increase the intensity.

4 – Gradually return to your activities with your new knowledge and balanced movements.

This can be a complicated problem, so we recommend letting a physiotherapist help guide you through the process and provide additional treatment that is often required to get from one stage to the next (this may involve manual therapy, soft tissue techniques, taping, or acupuncture).  We always tailor the exercises to each individual to make sure they are effective and pain-free.

Rob McMillan – Registered Physiotherapist

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COVID-19 SAFETY

Easthill Physiotherapy + Acupuncture Clinic has protocols to ensure the utmost safety for our patients, team and community. We have worked hard to protect our public health during this pandemic. Medical masks are mandatory for all staff and patients to keep everyone safe, and we appreciate your commitment.

We continue to follow the guidelines and protective measures indicated by our regulatory boards and governments. Our team has also had extensive training on our new protocols, and we are all 100% committed to ensuring our patients’ safety.

This is the new normal.

All patients and staff will be screened before each visit. Unfortunately, anyone showing signs of respiratory infection will be unable to come into the clinic. We will encourage and book virtual physiotherapy appointments for those that need help but are symptomatic if a client is at greater risk or for anyone who is not comfortable coming into the clinic.

We have the highest standards for hand hygiene and cleaning. All equipment and rooms will be disinfected after each use, frequently touched surfaces will be sterilized, and personal protective equipment will be used in all appropriate situations. Patients and staff will have hand washing stations to ensure proper frequent hand hygiene.

We also understand that it is necessary to reduce the risk of transmission with physical distancing. To do this, we have installed plexiglass barriers, reduced the number of appointments available by spreading them out and designed an optimal patient flow that minimizes contact with other patients and staff before and after appointments. Our team is also committed to practicing these as measures of hand hygiene and physical distancing outside the clinic to be safe when they return to work.

Although it may seem different with the steps we need to take, the Easthill Physiotherapy + Acupuncture team is still the same! We still believe in the same values and are here to provide an extraordinary physiotherapy experience. This is not going to change. Our goal is to keep all of us healthy and happy.

Our fabulous admin team is available to book in-clinic appointments now. Or if you prefer a virtual physiotherapy visit, we can book that too. Please call us at 250-545-2922 to book an appointment or if you would like more information.

Chris Burk + Rob McMillan
Owners, Easthill Physiotherapy