The meniscus is found in your knee joint between your tibia and femur. It is a tough, rubbery material that provides shock absorption, improves lubrication and increases the stability of the joint. You have both a lateral -- outside -- and medial -- inside -- meniscus, and the medial meniscus has a higher rate of injury.
Therapeutic modalities are unquestionably useful tools in injury rehabilitation. Physical therapy combines techniques, manual exercises and modalities to restore your confidence in your injured knee. William E. Prentice, author of "Therapeutic Modalities: For Sports and Athletic Training," says that when modalities are used appropriately they can greatly enhance an individual's chances of a safe and rapid return to activity.
Potentional for Injury and Diagnosis
Deep squatting actions or cutting and pivoting motions are common ways to tear your meniscus. A torn meniscus can cause pain, swelling and stiffness. You may also notice a popping or clicking sound or sensation when you bend and extend your knee and troubles or pain with going up stairs. Your doctor will use medical imaging to diagnose the extent of the injury, and he will be able to assess if you are a candidate for surgery. Many times you are able to go a conservative route with treatment using just modalities to relieve pain and restore function and motion.
Cold
Prentice mentions that the application of cold is safe, simple and inexpensive. This might be why many injured athletes turn to it as a modality when they are in need. Applying cold to your knee will decrease the temperature, decrease pain and will encourage blood vessels to constrict, which reduces swelling to the area. Applying cold to the knee is best done by applying a cold pack to the area. General treatment time for a cold application is 20 minutes. Cold modalities are most commonly used on injuries that are acute and still have tenderness, swelling and redness and are warm to the touch.
Heat
Heat modalities are most commonly used once the injury has moved past the acute stage and the swelling and redness has dissipated. Heat encourages the capillaries to open, which increases circulation and brings blood and oxygen to the area to promote healing and decrease inflammation. You can apply heat to the injured area by using a hot pack. Make sure the pack is not so hot that it burns the skin, and always lay the pack on the injured area rather than laying the area on the heat pack. Prentice says treatment time should be 15 and 20 minutes in duration.
Electrical Stimulation
Electrical stimulation is administered using a machine that sends an electrical current into your body, specifically to the injured area to elicit a certain response for healing and pain control. You might receive the electrical stimulation at the doctor's office, during a physical therapy appointment or at home with a device your doctor sends home with you. For meniscus tears, most commonly you would use electrical stimulation for pain control, increasing range of motion, muscle re-education and muscle strengthening. You may also receive cold treatment at the same time you are receiving electrical stimulation to the injured area.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a modality in which acoustic energy is sent into the injured area to achieve a certain physiological response in the healing process. Ultrasound is one of the most widely used modalities in sports medicine, primarily for the purpose of stimulating the repair of soft tissue injuries and for relief of pain, Prentice says. He also mentions that ultrasound is used often in sports medicine to decrease joint stiffness, reduce muscle spasm, increase blood flow and reduce pain to the injured area. A health care professional administers the ultrasound modality with a certain treatment outcome in mind.
References
- "Therapeutic Modalities: For Sports Medicine and Athletic Training" ; William E. Prentice, et al.; 2003
- "Evaluation of Orthopedic and Athletic Injuries"; Chad Starkey, et al.; 2002
- "Athletic Training, A Competency-Based Approach"; William E. Prentice; 2003
