Think about how much you use your knees during all the daily activities from bending down to pick up the grocery bags, climbing the stairs, walking from your car to the office, or just getting out of bed. Perhaps you play a sport such as racquetball or tennis, or you enjoy hiking with your family. All these normal activities can feel so difficult when you are experiencing knee pain. Knee pain has a negative effect on your ability to function, let alone thrive.
The Knee Joint
The knee is a complex joint that relies heavily on ligaments and muscles for stability. The knee is a major weight bearing joint and is includes:
- the tibia-femoral joint (between the thigh and lower leg)
- the patella-femoral joint (between the kneecap and the thigh),
- muscles and ligaments, which gives active and passive stability to the knee.
- two ring shaped cartilage discs in the knee, called the menisci (one meniscus)
You do not have to decide to live with the pain or stop enjoying exercise and family time. Nor should you have to decide that pain medication is now just “part of life”. Consider the option of chiropractic treatment. Yes, oftentimes, an accredited chiropractor can start to treat and care for the underlying issues that are likely causing knee pain. Discomfort is not something you need to accept as “the norm” or “part of aging”.
Contemporary chiropractic treatment includes more than 150 techniques that chiropractors use to manually adjust the spine, joints and muscles with varying degrees of force. Chiropractors focus on the relationships between structure and function. This is essential in finding the root causes of knee pain. In the past, chiropractic care got mixed reviews from other doctors. However, in early 2017, The American College of Physicians released new guidelines. It now supports the use of nonpharmacologic therapies, such as chiropractic and acupuncture, as first-line treatments for some types of pain, before using medication. A chiropractor is a holistic way to treat pain.
There Signs That It May be Time to Seek Treatment for Your Knee Pain
One significant reason is if the knee pain is severe enough to limit your ability to accomplish normal daily life activities in daily life. Also, if you have tried to limit your activity levels for short periods of time and your knees are still painful or if you have taken pain medication and the knee pain remains troublesome, it is time to visit a chiropractor.
An experienced doctor, such as our chiropractors at Family Chiropractic Clinic, will address the issues in and around the knee from the pain. They will also examine you to see if alignment issues in other areas of the body could be the true cause of the knee pain, or at least be a contributing factor. For example, limited range of motion in the hips or tightness in the lower back can place excessive strain on the knees which can be painful. With the right care, a chiropractor can correct these issues so you can live pain-free.
Types of Knee Pain
Here are some of the common culprits of knee joint pain:
Arthritis
What causes arthritis? A deformity can lead to arthritis in the knee, obesity, or repetitive stress injuries from sports are the culprits. Symptoms include stiffness or locking joints.
Arthritis often triggers problems associated with joints. However, it can affect other structures like tendons, muscles, and ligaments. The most common form of arthritis in the knee joint is osteoarthritis. It is the result of steady degradation of the cartilage in the knee. Rheumatoid arthritis, another form of arthritis, causes joints to become inflamed. This inflammation can result in the destruction of the surrounding cartilage.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS or IT band syndrome)
Tendon inflammation and the subsequent rubbing against the outer knee bone is typically a result of the stress of long-term overuse, like athletes tend to experience in sports training.
Meniscus Injuries
Quick rotations or twists of the upper leg as well as repetitive rotations of the knee while bearing right can tear the meniscus, the cushion in your joint.
Osgood-Schlatter Disease
This condition is from recurring tension or stress on the upper part of the tibia. The patellar tendon and nearby soft tissues where the tendon attaches to the tibia become irritated and inflamed. This is common in pre-adolescent boys who participate in sports with frequent running or jumping.
Referred Pain
Referred pain can be the result of pain or injury in other areas from low back facet joints, sacroiliac joints, hip joints, and muscles surrounding the knee, nerve compression in the low back, pelvis, and thigh, or a dysfunction of surrounding joints in the feet, hips, and pelvis.
What to Expect When You See a Chiropractor for Knee Pain
When you experience knee pain, your doctor will want to examine all the anatomical parts around it. This includes the low back, pelvis, hip, ankle and foot need to be assessed because of the direct influence they have on the knee, and vice versa. As chiropractor, we take a comprehensive medical history and perform a thorough physical and biomechanical examination in order to make an accurate diagnosis and create a treatment plan. Each patient receives a personalized care plan. However, in our experience, many people experiencing knee pain benefit from some or all of the following treatments:
Reduce joint inflammation and reduce pain
We may recommend ice to reduce inflammation, muscle spasms and pain. Also, to expedite and promote soft tissue healing, we may use a laser, ultrasound, and interferential therapy.
Normalize joint function
This is done by using specific chiropractic manipulation and mobilization techniques to areas of restricted movement in the knee and surrounding joints, to increase movement, improve the function and reduce pain. Also, we may recommend Deep soft tissue massages, trigger point therapy and cross-friction.
Rehabilitation through an exercise program
When appropriate we introduce exercises to improve strength, endurance and stability. We also work on improving your balance. This will help you to return to normal and prevent injuries.
Our staff is here to help you find pain relief, weather it be in your back, knee, shoulder, or anywhere else. We’re dedicated to getting to the root of the problem and helping you live pain free. No one should have to suffer with pain. Let our staff help you.
