Why did I have a loud pop in my knee followed by pain?

A loud pop in your knee followed by severe pain are the symptoms of a knee ligament rupture, and such an injury can take quite some time to heal. 

There are four ligaments in your knee that help stabilize it. These are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and the medial collateral ligament (MCL). Of these ligaments, the ACL is the most commonly injured. Medical studies reveal that there are up to 200,000 ACL ruptures in the U.S. annually. 

Fortunately, physical therapists can help you learn which factors that can put you at risk for a knee ligament injury. Additionally, they can provide effective treatment for your knee injury after you hear that loud pop in your knee followed by pain. 

Common risk factors that lead to knee ligament injuries

In some cases, most people don’t know they’re at risk for a knee ligament injury. At least that’s true until they hear a loud pop in their knee followed by severe pain. However, physical therapists know that there are many factors that can increase your chances of such an injury. 

A few of the factors that could be putting you at risk are: 

• Being a woman.
• Playing sports that involve sudden changes in direction, such as soccer or football. 
• Playing sports on artificial turf. 
• Wearing poorly fitting shoes. 
• Poor conditioning and warmup habits. 

How can physical therapists help treat knee ligament injuries?

After you hear that loud pop in your knee followed by pain, you’ll want to find effective ways to treat your knee ligament injury. Physical therapy is one treatment option you should consider. One reason is that physiotherapists offer many treatment techniques that can help with knee ligament injuries. 

Some common therapy methods used to treat these types of injuries can include: 

• Pre-surgical rehab designed to help prepare your body if your knee requires surgery. 

• Post-surgical rehab intended to help decrease post-operative pain and speed up your recovery process.

• Therapeutic exercises that can strengthen muscles around your knee to provide better stability. 

• Dry needling therapy intended to reduce muscle tension and improve knee range of motion. 

Discover effective knee ligament injury care at Back in Motion PT

Searching for top-notch treatment after the loud pop in your knee followed by pain? Our Back in Motion Physical Therapy team is ready and willing to assist you. We offer free screenings that can help pinpoint which knee ligament you’ve injured. Our therapists can also build you a personalized therapy plan designed to reduce your pain, and we can assist you with preparing for knee surgery and knee surgery recovery. 

Is your knee injury keeping you close to home? No worries! Our team can still help you get the therapy you need. This is possible thanks to our at-home care and virtual therapy services. 

Contact us today for more information about the treatment options we offer for knee injuries or to schedule an initial appointment.