KNEE PAIN 

This is another favourite of mine for labels like Patellar Femoral joint dysfunction, jumpers knee, insertional tendinopathies, Tendonitis are all similar to those mentioned before in this site, in as much as they’re overuse injuries from too much jumping, running or even (and very commonly) poor biomechanics with the lower limb simply overloads the patellar tendon. For sure we know the knee joint deteriorates with time as in Osteoarthritis but as we know tissue deteriorates with time from Histology slides and pathology.

However with the soft tissue injuries we see with the knee, there are similarities with the other conditions we describe. These are usually degenerative in nature, confirmed by lab work, but there is often a new found injury to the effected area. 

Your symptoms are very likely to be pain over the patella tendon, specifically just below. Stiffness of the knee with functional activity such as jumping, squatting and noticeable loss of leg and calf power.

The diagnosis is on clinical assessment, use of MRI’s if in doubt.  As mentioned Histology from biopsies confirms often that the tendon is of a degenerative nature and accordingly given the name ‘Tendinopathy‘.

We also see chronic distal hamstring tendon injuries on the outside, back of the knee often from deceleration activities and indeed often partial avulsions (tears). The treatment is the same as discussed previously.

We see two common situations with Shockwave patients, particularly those with knees issues.

Often the patient is unable to complete physiotherapy successfully and thereby undertake to rehabilitation. The Shockwave treatment reduces the symptoms of the injury, often reducing pain by the 2 or 3 treatment, this in turn offloads the stresses and the patient can complete a successful rehabilitation.

In other circumstances we find that the Shockwave therapy will simply do the job. It will reboot the body’s natural healing process, and the injury recovers without the need for additional treatment.

So when do you consult us for treatment, NICE confirms that shockwave is a safe and effective treatment but post 6 months, in Europe they say why wait that long, but personally I would not undertake this treatment less than 3 months old and only if your treatment has not responded to conventional treatment.

Next Steps

Here are the 3 steps to discover if Shockwave is right for you:

• If you want to read more about Shockwave Therapy, download a free copy of The Shockwave Solution book
• If you have a specific condition, however you are not sure Shockwave is an appropriate course of treatment, complete a free, confidential Online Assessment.
• If you are ready to see if Shockwave is right for you, call to schedule an assessment appointment 020 8662 1155