Knee Pain Success Story - Physical Therapy Holly Springs, NC



This week I want to highlight one of my patients that has recently graduated from a successful PT plan of care. She is an awesome teenager that had broken the growth plate at her knee during gymnastics several years ago. She was dealing with constant knee pain even after going through traditional PT after the initial injury. When she came for her initial appointment, she was having pain with the stairs and prolonged walking at school. She was dealing with pain while running and jumping, which limited her ability to participate in PE class and volleyball. She missed gymnastics and felt like she would never be able to get back to the sport she loved. 

During her initial evaluation, I performed a comprehensive orthopedic exam that included checking for muscle imbalances, movement compensations, joint mobility restrictions, and tenderness for palpation. We utilized tools such as dry needling with electrical stimulation, IASTM, cupping, and myofascial release techniques to reduce her pain. We began restoring her quadriceps loading tolerance, as well as the strength of her gluteus medius and hamstrings. Limited ankle dorsiflexion range of motion was also addressed to improve her squat and stair negotiation mechanics. We worked on increasing her ankle and lower extremity proprioception to improve her stability. Progressively we worked up to low level hopping drills to build confidence and knee tolerance. Soon after we were able to complete a running assessment and single leg hop testing to begin improving her biomechanics for more complex plyometric exercises. 

This patient went from having knee pain with a body weight squat on day 1 to completing 10 reps of 65# barbell front squats with her heels elevated without symptoms at the end of her 10 visits. She was able to control single leg hopping and jump a distance equal to the opposite side. She was able to run without pain and with good form. Her ability to jump progressed in vertical height and eccentric control, even with landings onto uneven surfaces. She reached her goals for strength, dynamic balance and hopping, and sport specific activities. 

I am so grateful to her family for trusting me to guide her care. She was disciplined to complete her home exercises and come to therapy willing to try new things. If you have been dealing with a chronic injury and feel like there is no hope, then I hope this story encourages you to give one-on-one physical therapy a chance. We would be happy to provide a free injury screening to learn more about your story and see if we would be a good fit to help! 

Dr. Rebecca Acevedo, PT, DPT