Stairs and Knee Pain

Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI

Today, in the New York Times health section, there was an article about knee pain and stairs.  A reader wrote in and asked how to prevent their knees from hurting when they descended stairs.

I read the article and some of the comments, and laughed a little to myself.  The solution, from Dr. Kevin J. Bozic, an orthopedic surgeon, says to do straight leg raises because your quads might be too weak.  Some of the comments were correct, referring to physiotherapists to address the issues, and some were just bizarre.

I’ve written about stairs and knee pain before:  Stairs and knee problems and The ankle and step down test.

The problem is that the NYTimes article didn’t cover the ankle or hip, two important components of the kinetic chain when it comes to ascending or descending stairs.  When addressing a joint problem, always look one segment above and one segment below to get a full, clear picture;  and do a thorough physical exam to determine the true extent of the problem.

If you would like more information, please call Professional Physical Therapy and Training at 973-270-7417.  Our offices our located within the YMCA locations in Madison and Summit, NJ.  You do not need to be a member of the YMCA to visit with us.