Knee pain is an extremely common orthopedic condition in the world today.
In fact, many of the people who go to see their doctors for painful joint conditions are suffering from one of two ailments:
- Knee pain.
- Low back pain.
These issues account for millions of visits to hospitals and healthcare facilities around the world every year. Interestingly, these problems can likely be resolved with simple, tried and true methods, such as chiropractic care.
For our purposes, we’ll set the issue of back pain aside for now and focus instead on knee pain. In this article, we will take a closer look at the epidemic of knee pain and demonstrate how chiropractic care can be the perfect treatment for this condition.
The Knee Joint
Compared to other joints of the body, the knee is considered to be a fairly simple joint with regard to structure and function. The knee is composed of the intersection between the large femur, the smaller tibia, and the much smaller patella.
Each of these bones serves an important function by providing a stable surface for muscle, tendon, and ligament attachments. Also, when the padding around these bones wears down, patients often experience excruciating pain when walking, weight-bearing, and moving the knee.
The ligaments of the knee are also crucial structures. The major ones include the ACL and PCL, which provide rotational and front/back stability for the joint; and the LCL and MCL, which provide side-to-side stability. Ligament tears usually result in extreme knee instability and these injuries make walking, running, and participating in athletic activities very hard.
Last but not least (for our purposes) are the muscles and tendons of the knee. Many muscles cross the knee joint. However, arguably the most important ones are the quads in the front and the hamstrings in the back. Tearing these muscles can be an extremely painful experience and one that can sideline someone for many weeks or months.
Knee Pain Treatments
Regardless of what is causing your knee pain, there are a few general treatment strategies that certain clinicians will use.
Physicians will often focus on medications (oral and injectable) and/or surgery. These treatment options may be viable for some cases of knee pain, but they often come with serious risks of side effects or other issues.
Physical therapists and rehab specialists will often focus on stretching, strengthening, and mobility exercises that will address issues seen in the lower body. In working on these areas, patients can often experience relief, and they may have a decreased chance of reinjuring the area in question.
In the next section, we’ll review another treatment option for knee pain: chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Care for Knee Pain
Chiropractors focus on the alignment of the spine, ensuring that all parts of the spine are in the perfect position. They do so by performing spinal manipulations, which are quick, effective treatments that can realign the spine very quickly and effectively. Once these treatments are completed, patients can often feel instantaneous (yet long-lasting) relief.
When someone has knee pain, chiropractors can target specific areas of the spine that may be responsible for the issue. By correcting problems and misalignments in these areas, the spine can often function better. This, in turn, enables the body to begin to heal more quickly.
Have you been suffering from knee pain that just won’t go away? If so, talk to the local Lithia, FL chiropractic experts at At Last Chiropractic. We are ready to help you today! Schedule your appointment now.
