Do you ever feel like your knee twists from side to side when you perform simple movements–or worse, that it’s about to give out from under you? Knee instability is understandably alarming. If it happens frequently, you may start to lose confidence in your ability to walk or move around safely. Physiotherapy can help address your knee pain and instability concerns!
Knee pain often accompanies knee instability, making those simple movements shaky and uncomfortable. Knee pain and instability can severely limit your independence and mobility, leading to decreased physical activity and overall quality of life.
Fortunately, physiotherapy with South Sherbrook Therapy can help you address both knee pain and instability! Our team can help you understand the source of your knee pain and instability and help you manage both issues through targeted exercises and balance training. Dedicated physiotherapy can help you find comfort, reduce your fall risk, and live a healthy, active lifestyle.
Curious to learn more about the potential causes of knee instability–and how our physiotherapists can help resolve them? Keep reading, or schedule an appointment at our Winnipeg, MB physiotherapy clinic!
Why Is My Knee Wobbly? Symptoms and Causes
The knee is a complex hinge joint involving both your upper and lower leg, several ligaments, two types of cartilage, and several muscles. All these pieces work in tandem to help you move your legs while supporting and stabilizing your overall body. If even one part of the joint is impaired, you may experience pain and instability.
What knee instability feels like can vary based on the source of the instability. You might notice one or more of the following:
- A sense of the knees buckling under your weight
- A sense of the knee moving side to side
- A general weak feeling in the knee
- Knee pain, particularly while performing certain movements or after a prolonged period of inactivity
- Swelling and/or stiffness in the knee
- Clicking, popping, or cracking sounds when you move your knee
Generally speaking, knee issues are caused either by injury or osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition in which the knee cartilage, which protects the bones from rubbing together, degenerates. It tends to affect older people, although people who have suffered knee injuries can also develop it.
As for knee injuries themselves, someone can injure their knees in several ways. Athletes are particularly susceptible to knee injuries given the high-impact movements required in many sports, such as jumping or quickly pivoting from one direction to another.
If you’re struggling with knee instability in addition to knee pain, you may have injured one of the four ligaments in the knee. These ligaments support and stabilize the knee joint, so if one of them overstretches or tears, it can make the entire structure feel unstable. Injuries to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) are a common source of knee instability, particularly among athletes.
Finally, patellar instability is another common source of knee instability. It affects your kneecap (aka the patella) and can be caused by injury or loose ligaments brought on by hypermobility or other conditions.
How Physiotherapy Can Help You Address Knee Pain and Instability
Physiotherapy is a great choice for addressing knee injuries and helping to manage osteoarthritis without surgery. Even if you do require surgery (such as with an ACL tear or severe osteoarthritis), physiotherapy can help prepare you for the procedure and rehabilitate you afterward.
We offer several techniques to stabilize your knee joint while helping you manage any pain. Depending on your needs, we may recommend one or more of the following:
- Manual Therapy: These various hands-on techniques can help manage pain and improve knee mobility and range of motion. Manual therapy techniques include joint mobilizations (in which we guide your knee through its current range of motion) or therapeutic massage.
- Range of Motion Exercises: If you’re struggling with stiffness or limited mobility, we’ll help you increase your range of motion through targeted exercises.
- Strengthening Exercises: One of the best things you can do to address knee instability is to strengthen the muscles surrounding your knee. The stronger your muscles, the more support your knee has. We’ll start slowly and gradually build in intensity as you improve.
- Balance Training: When you’re no longer struggling with pain or weakness, we’ll begin targeted work to improve your overall balance, focusing on improving your knee’s stability.
- Mobility Aids: For conditions such as arthritis, you may benefit from using a mobility aid (such as a cane or walker). We’ll provide detailed information about these aids and help you get used to using them.
- Education and Injury Prevention: Finally, we’ll talk to you about strategies for avoiding either reinjury or future incidences of pain and instability. What this looks like will depend on the source of your condition. We may recommend alternate footwear or modification to triggering movements.
We tailor all of our treatment plans to the patient’s needs, goals, and ability levels. In fact, your first appointment will consist of an in-depth evaluation in which we look at your medical history and current symptoms before conducting several hands-on tests so we can identify areas of strength and impairment. This information allows us to create the best possible plan for you.
We’ll also help you progress through your treatment plan safely and effectively. Our physiotherapists will choose exercises that match your current ability level and increase them only when we know it’s safe for you to do so. We’ll monitor your progress and provide a clear return-to-activity schedule so you don’t risk injuring yourself again.
Move with Confidence: Schedule an Appointment Today!
If you’re struggling with knee instability, addressing it before it causes further issues is important. Regardless of your knee instability source, our team of Winnipeg, MB physiotherapists will help you find a solution that suits your needs.
To get started, request an appointment with South Sherbrook Therapy today!
