Joint injuries often occur during traumatic incidents such as falling over or sporting activities that involve jumping and landing or twisting. Surprisingly, some of the more significant joint injuries actually don’t involve any external contact, but a large portion of joint injuries will also involve a collision. This often results in straining or tearing of the ligaments and the shock absorbing tissue in the knee known as the meniscus or cartilage.
Similar to muscular injuries, you may notice swelling and bruising after these sorts of injuries and the joint might feel wobbly or more unstable than usual. The joint might also feel painful to move and might get stuck in one position or give way when walking.
We can assess ligament, cartilage and other joint injuries in clinic by discussing your symptoms with you, looking at your movement and performing special tests that stress specific structures in the joint. In some cases your therapist may refer you to get a scan, either for diagnostic ultrasound scan which we can perform in-clinic, or MRI scan which can be accessed via the NHS or privately.
Recovering from joint injuries can take some time, depending on the severity of the injury. Your therapist will work with you throughout this healing process, slowly building and progressing your rehabilitation appropriately as the tissues repair, with the overall aim of restoring normal function to the joint. Treatment in-clinic will often use manual therapy techniques, electrotherapy, acupuncture and dry needling. Taping and strapping can also be highly effective to provide external support to the injured joint, especially in the early phases of the injury. If symptoms do not settle over the standard period of time we would expect then ultrasound-guided steroid injections can be highly beneficial to kickstart a huge anti-inflammatory and painkilling response within the joint.
