How an Osteopath can Treat Patella Tracking Syndrome!
How Can an Osteopath Help Treat Patella Tracking Syndrome?
Do you experience pain around your kneecap when walking, running, squatting or going up and down stairs? You may be experiencing patella tracking syndrome, also commonly associated with patellofemoral pain syndrome.
At Hoppers Crossing Sports & Spinal, our osteopaths assess the knee and the surrounding areas of the body to identify factors that may be contributing to your knee pain and altered patella movement.
If you’re experiencing knee pain in Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Werribee South, Manor Lakes, Mambourin, Wyndham Vale, Point Cook, Tarneit, Truganina, Williams Landing, Laverton, Seabrook or Altona Meadows, an osteopathic assessment may help determine the underlying factors contributing to your symptoms.
What Is Patella Tracking Syndrome?
The patella, or kneecap, sits within a groove at the end of your thigh bone called the trochlear groove. As you bend and straighten your knee, the patella normally glides through this groove.
Patella tracking syndrome occurs when the movement of the kneecap is not optimal during knee movement. This can contribute to increased stress around the patellofemoral joint and may cause pain at the front or around the knee.
Patellofemoral pain is commonly aggravated by activities such as:
Squatting
Running
Jumping
Lunging
Going up or down stairs
Walking or hiking
Cycling
Prolonged sitting with the knee bent
Getting up from a chair
Research into patellofemoral pain supports assessing factors such as hip and thigh strength, muscle length, foot position, patellar mobility and lower-limb movement patterns.
What Causes Patella Tracking Problems?
There isn’t always one single cause of patella tracking problems. Knee pain can develop from a combination of factors affecting how the hip, knee, ankle and foot work together.
Potential contributing factors can include:
1. Hip and glute weakness
The muscles around the hip help control the position of the thigh during activities such as running, squatting and stepping.
Reduced strength or control around the hip can influence lower-limb movement and may contribute to increased stress around the patellofemoral joint.
2. Quadriceps weakness
The quadriceps play an important role in controlling the knee and helping the patella move during knee flexion and extension.
Building appropriate quadriceps strength is an important component of rehabilitation for patellofemoral pain.
3. Changes in lower-limb movement
Your osteopath may assess how your knee moves during activities such as:
Squatting
Single-leg squatting
Stepping down from a step
Lunging
Walking
Running
Movement assessments can help identify areas where strength, mobility or coordination may need attention.
4. Changes in ankle or foot mechanics
The foot and ankle form the foundation of the lower limb. Changes in foot position or ankle mobility can influence movement further up the leg.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that your feet are the “cause” of your knee pain, but they can be one factor worth assessing.
5. Sudden increases in exercise
Patellofemoral pain can sometimes develop after suddenly increasing your training load.
For example, you may experience knee pain after:
Increasing your running distance
Starting a new gym program
Returning to sport
Increasing your cycling
Doing more squats or lunges
Increasing hiking or walking
Managing training load and progressively building strength can be an important part of recovery.
How Can an Osteopath Help With Patella Tracking Syndrome?
At Hoppers Crossing Sports & Spinal, an osteopath can take a comprehensive approach to your knee pain rather than focusing exclusively on the kneecap.
1. Assessing your knee
Your osteopath can assess your knee movement, pain levels, mobility and functional capacity.
This may include looking at how your knee responds to movements such as squatting, stepping and single-leg activities.
The aim is to understand what movements reproduce your symptoms and identify factors that may be contributing to your knee pain.
2. Assessing the hip and pelvis
Because the hip and knee work together, your osteopath may assess the strength, mobility and movement of the hip and pelvis.
This can help identify whether limitations around the hip may be influencing your lower-limb mechanics.
Current clinical guidelines recommend exercise targeting both the hip and knee for people with patellofemoral pain.
3. Assessing the ankle and foot
Your osteopath may also examine ankle mobility and foot position.
Understanding how the entire lower limb works together can help create a more individualised treatment and rehabilitation program.
4. Manual therapy
Depending on your individual assessment, osteopathic treatment may include hands-on techniques directed at areas such as the knee, thigh, hip, ankle or surrounding soft tissues.
Manual therapy may be used as an adjunct to an active rehabilitation program rather than as the sole treatment.
Importantly, current evidence does not support using manual therapy alone as the primary treatment for patellofemoral pain. Exercise-based rehabilitation remains a key component of treatment.
5. Exercise rehabilitation
One of the most important parts of managing patella tracking problems is progressively improving the strength and control of the muscles around the hip and knee.
Your osteopath may prescribe exercises such as:
Glute strengthening
Side-lying hip exercises
Bridges
Squats
Step-down exercises
Lunges
Quadriceps strengthening
Single-leg strengthening
Calf strengthening
The exact exercises should be tailored to your symptoms, strength and goals.
Evidence-based guidelines recommend combining hip- and knee-targeted exercises to improve pain, function and physical performance in people with patellofemoral pain.
Can You Still Exercise With Patella Tracking Syndrome?
In many cases, completely stopping exercise isn’t necessary.
Instead, your exercise program may need to be modified and progressively increased.
For example, if running currently causes significant knee pain, your osteopath may recommend temporarily reducing running volume while maintaining other forms of exercise that are more comfortable.
As your strength and tolerance improve, your training can gradually progress.
The goal isn’t simply to make your knee feel better for a few days. The goal is to help you develop the strength, capacity and movement control needed to return to the activities you enjoy.
How Long Does Patella Tracking Syndrome Take To Improve?
Recovery time varies considerably between individuals.
Factors that can influence recovery include:
How long you’ve had knee pain
The severity of your symptoms
Your current strength and fitness
Your training load
Your work and lifestyle
Previous knee injuries
How consistently you complete your rehabilitation
Your ability to gradually increase activity
A personalised assessment can help establish realistic goals and a progressive rehabilitation plan.
When Should You See an Osteopath for Knee Pain?
Consider having your knee assessed if you have persistent or recurring:
Front-of-knee pain
Pain around the kneecap
Knee pain when squatting
Knee pain when running
Pain going downstairs
Pain after sitting for long periods
Knee pain during gym workouts
Difficulty returning to sport
It is also important to have significant, sudden or unexplained knee symptoms appropriately assessed, particularly if you have substantial swelling, instability, locking, an acute injury or difficulty putting weight through the leg.
Osteopathy for Knee Pain in Hoppers Crossing
If you’re experiencing patella tracking problems or knee pain in Hoppers Crossing, the team at Hoppers Crossing Sports & Spinal can assess your knee and the surrounding areas to develop an individualised treatment and rehabilitation plan.
We work with people from Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Point Cook, Tarneit, Truganina, Williams Landing, Laverton and Altona Meadows who are looking for help with knee pain, sports injuries and movement-related problems.
Hoppers Crossing Sports & Spinal is located at 30 Powell Drive, Hoppers Crossing VIC 3029.
Book an Osteopathy Appointment for Knee Pain
Don’t let ongoing knee pain stop you from running, training, playing sport or enjoying everyday activities.
If you think you may have patella tracking syndrome, patellofemoral pain or another cause of knee pain, an osteopathic assessment can help determine what may be contributing to your symptoms and what steps you can take towards improving your strength and function.
Hoppers Crossing Sports & Spinal — helping you move better and get back to doing what you love.
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