A physical therapist can assess most aches, stiffness, clicking, weakness and tingling that come from muscles, joints, tendons and nerves, and work out which movements provoke them and why. The guides below start from the symptom you notice, such as knee pain on the stairs or numb fingers at night, and explain the likely causes, simple self-checks and the warning signs that need a physician first. In Indiana you can see a physical therapist without a referral for up to 42 calendar days, and the matching team near Carmel can propose an independent, licensed therapist once you describe what you feel.
Last reviewed By the Monon Therapy Collective editorial team
- Referral needed to start
- No, for up to 42 calendar days in Indiana
- Who examines you
- An independent, Indiana-licensed physical therapist
- Where
- Private suites at 885 Monon Green Blvd, Carmel
How do I pick the right symptom guide when several things hurt?
Pick the guide that matches the moment your pain is worst, because the trigger usually says more than the location. Knee pain that only shows up on the way down the stairs points toward different structures than a knee that clicks without hurting, even though both are “knee pain”.
If two areas hurt, start with the one that stops you doing something you need, such as sleeping, driving to work or walking the Monon Trail. Each guide links to the condition pages behind it, for example runner’s knee or carpal tunnel syndrome, so you can read further once a likely cause stands out.
Which symptoms should go to a physician or 911 instead of a physical therapist?
Sudden weakness, numbness down one side of the body, slurred speech, chest pressure spreading to the back or arm, fever with a stiff neck, and loss of bladder or bowel control are emergencies: call 911. Pain after a fall or crash that leaves you unable to bear weight also needs a physician or urgent care before any therapy.
Every guide in this section has a short “when it is urgent” box for its own area. Physical therapists are trained to screen for problems that are not musculoskeletal and to send you to a physician when something does not fit, but that screening happens at a visit, not on a website.
What happens after I read a symptom guide?
If the pain is still there after a week or two of sensible self-care, or it keeps coming back, the next step is an examination. The two-minute physical therapy questionnaire asks where it hurts and what makes it worse; a person on the matching team reads it and proposes a therapist in the network whose focus and schedule fit.
That therapist’s office confirms your benefits and books the first visit, which is explained on the first visit page. The network itself does not examine, diagnose or treat anyone.
Knee
- Knee pain going up and down stairsWhy stairs load the kneecap, why going down hurts more, and the usual causes from runner’s knee to arthritis.
- Knee pain after runningWhere it hurts after a run, what that usually means, and how to adjust training instead of stopping.
- Pain on the outside of the kneeIT band, LCL, outer meniscus or arthritis: how the way it started separates the causes of outer knee pain.
- Knee clicking and poppingWhen knee noise is nothing to worry about, and the sounds that come with meniscus, kneecap or arthritis problems.
- Knee pain when squattingFront, below-kneecap and joint-line pain in a squat each point somewhere different; here is how to read them and keep training.
- Knee swelling after exerciseReading the timing of knee swelling after a run, game or workout, and what it says about the joint underneath.
- Knee pain when straightening the legWhy the last part of straightening the knee hurts, the difference between a stiff knee and a locked one, and what helps.
- Knee giving outSorting a knee that buckles into ligament, kneecap, meniscus and muscle causes, and what each one needs.
- Stiff knee in the morningHow long your morning stiffness lasts is the main clue; here is what it means and how to get moving easier.
- Pain behind the kneeThe back of the knee packs tendons, a fluid sac and the meniscus into a small space; here is how to tell them apart.
- Inner knee painMCL, meniscus, bursa or arthritis: how to tell the four common sources of medial knee pain apart.
- Knee pain when kneelingBursa, kneecap, tendon or growth plate: why kneeling hurts, and how gardeners, tradespeople and post-surgery knees get back to it.
- Knee pain at nightWhy knees ache in bed, how sleep position changes it, and when night pain needs a doctor first.
Spine
- Lower back pain when bending overWhy bending forward provokes the lower back, how to tell a strain from a nerve problem, and how to rebuild the movement.
- Lower back pain when sittingWhy long sitting provokes the lower back, which causes fit which pattern, and how to set up a desk and car.
- Pain between the shoulder bladesUpper back muscles, neck nerves or something more urgent: how to sort out pain between the shoulder blades.
- Neck pain after sleepingWhat to do the morning you wake with a stiff neck, pillow and position tips, and when it is an emergency.
- Pain and tingling down the legWhy leg pain, pins and needles or numbness travels from the back or buttock, and how to tell which pattern you have.
- Lower back pain after lifting weightsTweaked your back under the bar: what it probably is, what to do this week and how lifts come back.
- Back pain when standing for long periodsPain that builds the longer you stand and eases when you sit: what it suggests and what to change.
- Neck pain when looking downPhone, laptop or workbench neck: muscle, disc or nerve, and the one sign that needs a doctor first.
- Lower back pain in the morningWhy the back is stiff on waking, which patterns are ordinary, and which point toward inflammatory back pain.
- Lower back pain on one sideMuscle, facet, SI joint or disc, and the kidney signs that move one-sided back pain to a doctor first.
- Lower back pain when coughing or sneezingWhy a sneeze can stab the low back, how to brace for one, and which signs mean a doctor before a therapist.
Shoulder
- Shoulder pain when reaching overheadThe painful arc, why lifting your arm hurts in the middle range, and how rotator cuff problems are rebuilt.
- Shoulder pain at nightWhy shoulders hurt more in bed, sleep positions that help, and the night pain that needs a physician.
- Shoulder pain when throwingPain in the cocked-back position or after a long toss: what it suggests and how throwers get back on the mound.
- Shoulder clicking and poppingWhich shoulder noises can be ignored, and which clicks with pain or slipping deserve a proper examination.
Elbow, wrist and hand
- Numbness and tingling in the handsA finger-by-finger map of hand tingling, from carpal tunnel to the neck, and the signs that mean 911.
- Elbow pain when grippingOutside or inside of the elbow, tendon or nerve: why gripping hurts and how grip comes back.
- Wrist pain during push-upsWhy planks and push-ups hurt the wrist, what to check after a fall, and how to keep training.
- Wrist pain on the pinky sideTFCC, tendon, sprain or nerve: what ulnar-sided wrist pain usually means and how it is tested.
Hip
- Hip pain when sleeping on your sideWhy the outside of the hip aches at night, which sleep positions help, and when night pain needs a doctor instead.
- Hip pain when walkingGroin, side of hip or buttock: where walking pain sits, and what relieves it, points to the joint, the tendons or the spine.
- Hip pain when sittingGroin pinch, sit-bone ache or deep buttock pain while sitting each point to a different cause and a different chair fix.
- Pain in the front of the hipMuscle strain or joint problem: how front-of-hip pain behaves, what you can test, and what a therapist does next.
- Groin pain when walkingHip joint, adductor or something else: how to tell what is behind groin pain on every walk.
- Sit bone pain when sittingA deep ache on the bone you sit on: hamstring tendon, bursa or nerve, and what a therapist does about each.
- Burning pain in the outer thighBurning or numb skin on the side of the thigh: the nerve behind it, the look-alikes and what helps.
- Hip pain after runningOutside, front, groin or buttock: where hip pain after a run sits, and what each location tends to mean.
- Hip pain when climbing stairsEach step is a one-leg squat for the hip; here is why it hurts and how the strength to climb comes back.
Foot and ankle
- Heel pain in the morningWhy the first steps of the day hurt under the heel, what else can cause it, and how a therapist plans recovery.
- Ankle that keeps giving wayWhy one sprain can turn into an ankle that rolls on curbs and courts, and how retraining balance and reactions changes it.
- Arch pain in the footUnder the arch or along the inner ankle: what arch pain usually means and how a therapist tests it.
- Pain on top of the footTendon, bone or joint: what top-of-foot pain usually means, and the signs that need an X-ray.
- Calf pain when runningA sudden pull, a slow build or pain at the same mile every time: what each calf pattern suggests.
- Pain in the back of the heelInsertional Achilles pain, Haglund’s bump, bursitis and Sever’s disease: the back-of-heel causes and how they are managed.
