Many patients come to our physical therapy center after suffering a knee injury or undergoing knee surgery. Ligaments, meniscus repairs, and prostheses are some of the most frequently treated conditions in our practice. If you also have pain, have suffered an injury, or have undergone knee surgery, we'll explain the importance of physical therapy in your recovery.
What are the most common knee injuries in sports?
- Sprain or tear of ligaments (anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, collateral ligaments).
- Meniscal injuries (internal meniscus, external meniscus).
- Tendinopathies (patellar tendon, quadriceps or goose foot).
- Patellar dislocation.
- Fractures (patella fracture, proximal tibia fracture or distal femur fracture).
- Chondromalacia patella.
- Iliotibial band syndrome.
Anterior cruciate ligament in sports.
Imagine you're at a crucial moment in a competition, you make a sharp turn at full speed to change direction, and suddenly something happens inside your knee, as if you had the sensation of a structure "giving way." In this case, there's no contact, no impact, but you know something has gone terribly wrong. That brief moment, imperceptible to others, becomes the beginning of one of the most feared injuries for athletes: an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
This ligament is essential for knee stability. Unlike other ligaments in the body, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is poorly vascularized, limiting the supply of repair cells and growth factors. Furthermore, it is an intra-articular tissue immersed in synovial fluid and in a mechanical environment that is adverse to cellular regeneration.
This is why when it comes to a young athlete with the intention of continuing an active life, surgical intervention is almost inevitable, although the possibility of not having surgery after an injury of this type is still being investigated (In the following link Dr. Cugat proposes alternatives). This surgery is not capable of restoring the injured tissue; instead, it must be replaced by tissue with other characteristics, such as the tendon (HTH, hamstring, or allograft), requiring biological integration, called ligamentation, which can take between 9 and 18 months.
And this is when Physiotherapy becomes the athlete's best ally, helping with the healing of the new graft, restoring function, returning to competition, and minimizing relapse.
At our Evolution advanced physiotherapy clinic, we have the best professionals in anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation. We are experts in injuries and sports rehabilitation and have years of experience helping high-performance competitors reach their peak.
What tools does physiotherapy use in your knee recovery?
Among the therapeutic options that physical therapy can provide for your knee pain or injury are:
- Advanced pain and inflammation control techniques (specialized manual therapy, electrotherapy, neuromodulation, diathermy, cryotherapy, muscle activation, etc.).
- Individualized therapeutic exercise based on a treatment plan (strength, proprioception, neuromuscular re-education).
- Learning movement patterns and gait biomechanics.
- Functional rehabilitation, sports gesture training, and return to activity.
- Increased confidence and security.
- Decreased risk of recurrence.
I'm going to have knee surgery and I want to know if I need rehabilitation, what steps to take, and which professional can help me.
Knee surgery, no matter how minimally invasive, will produce significant changes in the central nervous system and the tissues treated.
Therefore, our usual recommendation for these types of patients is to contact us as soon as possible so we can evaluate and assess a physiotherapy plan tailored to their needs.
After knee surgery, early physical therapy guided by a qualified physical therapist is essential to ensure the therapeutic success of the procedure. If this is not the case, problems such as loss of joint range of motion, the appearance of adhesions, muscle weakness, pain, stiffness, lack of elasticity, and functional disability, among others, begin.
The difference between a mediocre recovery and an improved version lies in the quality of the post-surgical treatment. Don't settle for home workouts or a ten-minute physical therapy session with massages and machines, because your health and your future are at stake. At our Evolution clinic, we understand how important your knee is to you and know how to help you with your rehabilitation.
After undergoing knee surgery, I feel like I haven't recovered well. Is there a solution? Should I see a physical therapist?
This is a fairly common question among patients who come to our clinic with an unexpected result after undergoing surgery.
Not all patients are so lucky, as there are many factors that can alter the outcome of surgery.
At Evolution, we like to be sincere and honest with the people who trust us and call problems by their name.
Sometimes the choice or execution of the technique fails to produce the ideal result; the patient's genetics may not be optimal, or they may experience complications due to tissue biological inability (poor healing, infection, thrombosis, rejection of surgical material, etc.), the surgeon's lack of information about what to do after surgery, or, as in most cases, lack of, delay in, or insufficient rehabilitation.
If your pain doesn't go away or you think your knee isn't working properly schedule an appointment with usWe will assess your case and try to help you improve your quality of life.
Sports physiotherapy clinic for the treatment of knee injuries in Alcalá de Henares.
Now that you know the benefits and important role that physical therapy plays in pain, injury, and support after knee surgery, we invite you to visit our advanced physical therapy clinic, located at 28 Rio Arlanza Street, in Alcalá de Henares.
We have highly qualified healthcare professionals. Our physical therapists specialize in treating knee injuries using their hands and advanced technology. Using a personalized approach and a physiotherapy plan, we optimize your recovery so you can return to your daily activities and sports at the highest level.
As experts in sports physiotherapy and pain management, we stand out from conventional treatment.
