Understanding Knee Pain
Contrary to what many might believe, the knee anatomy can misalign, or become fixated and stuck. Naturally, this can cause knee pain.
The cause of these diseases may be imbalanced tonicity in surrounding muscles such as hamstrings and quads. The small knee-cap bone on top of the knee can also move out of its proper track and start gliding to the right or left of the knee groove, causing inflammation of the patellar cartilage. These are common diseases, which are usually misdiagnosed as knee sprain/strain or arthritis etc.
“A joint that does not move properly will eventually degenerate.” – Sam Nijmeh D.C.
For proper knee pain treatment, a good diagnostician needs to evaluate the motion of the knee bones- the femur, tibia and the patellar bone. If the knee injury is not caused by a sudden traumatic accident, it is usually due to some sort of misuse, such as using wrong shoes, overexertion during exercising, playing sports, etc.
Some systemic diseases such as rheumatoid diseases or arthritic diseases can also cause severe knee pain symptoms that may need medical treatments simultaneous with chiropractic adjustments.
Chiropractic adjustments for the knee must always be followed by home stretching and strengthening exercises. Without proper exercises, the knee remains weak. This weakness may continue causing the knee to glide improperly, leading to meniscus damage or patellar stray.
The knee adjustments should target any fixations in the knee joints to allow for proper motion. By properly balancing the surrounding musculature, the motion of the patellar bone (knee cap) and the femur/tibia joint can be normalized.
But, how about more invasive diseases such as arthritis or Degenerative Joint Disease?
A joint that does not move properly will eventually degenerate. Motion of the joint brings blood and nutrition to the cartilage. Lack of motion or abnormal motion of the joint will cause the cartilage to slowly starve and degenerate. It is imperative for the knee to move and glide properly to enhance circulation in the joint capsule.
This is the magic of chiropractic when it comes to musculoskeletal diseases. When all other therapies ice and heat or just stretch and strengthen, chiropractic adjustments can align and mobilize fixation in joints that can slow down or even stop joint degenerations.
If you are dealing with knee pain, or have experienced a knee injury, feel free to call our office for a free consultation. You will immediately be given an appointment. During this appointment, the details of the injury will be noted and then we will examine (and possibly x-ray) your knee. Once diagnosed, your treatments will begin your path to wellness.
I look forward to helping you get knee pain relief, including that from runners knee.
Dr. Sam Nijmeh D.C.