Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBefore TherapyExercisesTherapiesWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Before Therapy
Exercises
Therapies
When to See a Provider
Physical therapy for the knees can help to decrease pain and increase strength. It can improve your mobility, making it easier to walk, stand up from a seated position, or use the stairs.
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Physical therapy forknee paintypically requires two or three sessions a week for several weeks.
At the initial visit, the physical therapist will evaluate your knee pain and develop a customized treatment plan. Physical therapy for the knees involves exercises, hands-on therapy, and treatments like ultrasound.
This article discusses physical therapy for knee pain. It explains how knee pain is evaluated and treated. It also provides tips for getting insurance approval for knee physical therapy.
Before Starting Knee Physical Therapy
Physical therapy for knee pain starts with an initial evaluation. After the assessment, your physical therapist will develop a customized treatment plan. This usually involves two or three sessions a week for several weeks.
Will Insurance Cover Knee PT?
Most insurance companies and Medicare cover physical therapy when medically necessary. However, it may be limited to a certain number of visits and specific providers.
Check your policy before setting up an appointment. You may be required to see a doctor for a prescription for physical therapy first.
Prior authorization may also be needed before you start treatment. This is often based on the initial evaluation.
Your insurance company may only approve a handful of visits at first. If that’s the case, another evaluation will be needed before more sessions are approved.
1:43Click Play to Learn All About Physical Therapy for Knee Pain
1:43
Click Play to Learn All About Physical Therapy for Knee Pain
PT Evaluation for Knee Pain
This initial evaluation for physical therapy is used to determine a treatment plan—and for insurance approval when required.
Interview and Forms
You’ll be given paperwork to fill out at your first appointment. The forms will include questions about your medical history and current pain.
The therapist will also ask questions about how the pain started, what aggravates it, and what, if anything, brings relief.
Rating Your Knee Pain
You will also be asked to rate your pain with different movements. This is often done using a scale of zero to 10, as follows:
Insurance companies often use pain rating scales to determine medical necessity. Treatment is usually approved for moderate to severe pain. If you rate your pain as mild, treatment may not be covered.
Other assessments used during the initial evaluation may include:
PT Exercises for Knee Pain
Exercises are the primary tool for treating knee pain in physical therapy. Targeted exercises are used to help strengthen and improve the mobility of the knee.
Exercises your physical therapist may prescribe to help your knee pain include:
Your therapist will tell you how often to perform your exercises at home and monitor your progress during treatment.
PT Therapies for Knee Pain
Treatment modalities used for knee physical therapy include:
Are Physiotherapy and Physical Therapy the Same Thing?
When to See a Healthcare Provider for Knee Pain
Knee pain symptoms that warrant medical attention include:
A Word From Verywell
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Boonstra AM, Stewart RE, Köke AJ, et al.Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the numeric rating scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: variability and influence of sex and catastrophizing.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1466. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01466Bunt CW, Jonas CE, Chang JG.Knee pain in adults and adolescents: the initial evaluation.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(9):576–85.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Knee conditioning program.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Knee pain.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Boonstra AM, Stewart RE, Köke AJ, et al.Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the numeric rating scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: variability and influence of sex and catastrophizing.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1466. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01466Bunt CW, Jonas CE, Chang JG.Knee pain in adults and adolescents: the initial evaluation.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(9):576–85.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Knee conditioning program.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Knee pain.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Boonstra AM, Stewart RE, Köke AJ, et al.Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the numeric rating scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: variability and influence of sex and catastrophizing.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1466. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01466Bunt CW, Jonas CE, Chang JG.Knee pain in adults and adolescents: the initial evaluation.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(9):576–85.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Knee conditioning program.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Knee pain.
Boonstra AM, Stewart RE, Köke AJ, et al.Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the numeric rating scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: variability and influence of sex and catastrophizing.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1466. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01466
Bunt CW, Jonas CE, Chang JG.Knee pain in adults and adolescents: the initial evaluation.Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(9):576–85.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Knee conditioning program.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Knee pain.
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