Knee Injury Pain Relief Treatments, Symptoms & Causes

Knee pain can leave you wondering if you will ever run, climb stairs or sit comfortably in a movie theater again. Although incredibly complex and sturdy, the knee is more prone to injury than any other bony structure in your body besides the spine.

Knee pain is commonly caused by muscle imbalances and bone misalignments around the knee, hip, and ankle joints. Bad posture, injury, overuse and repetitive motions can cause knee pain. Chiropractic adjustments in combination with the most researched cold low-level laser by Erchonia, realign the joints to eliminate joint stress, reduce inflammation, and stimulate healing of the surrounding soft tissue.

Common Causes of Knee Pain

Arthritis Knee

Arthritis most often causes problems with the knee joint, but can affect other structures like muscles, tendons and ligaments. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis in the knee, is caused by the gradual degradation of the cartilage in the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis causes the joint to become inflamed and can often cause destruction of the surrounding cartilage. A deformity often leads to arthritis in the knee, but more often, obesity or excess weight, or repetitive stress injuries from sports are the culprits. Symptoms include stiffness or locking joints.

Ligament Injuries

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) can become sprained and cause a great deal of pain. Injury to the cruciate ligaments is sometimes referred to as a “sprain.” The ACL can become stretched or torn by a sudden or direct impact, such as in an auto accident or football tackle. Injuries to the medial collateral ligaments are often caused by a blow to the outer side of the knee that stretches and tears the ligament on the inner side of the knee. Football and hockey players often incur these kinds of injuries. The injury is often accompanied by a “pop” sound, followed by a buckling of the knee sideways.

Illiotibial Band Syndrome

Inflammation of a tendon and its subsequent rubbing over the outer knee bone is most often caused by stress of long-term overuse, such as sports training. Symptoms include aches or burning sensations at the side of the knee, sometimes the pain can radiate up the side of the thigh.

Meniscus Injuries

Quick twists or rotations of the upper leg or repetitive rotations of the knee while bearing right can tear the meniscus, the cushion in your joint.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease

This condition is caused by repetitive stress or tension on the upper tibia. The patellar tendon and surrounding soft tissues at the point where the tendon attaches to the tibia can become inflamed. Pre-adolescent boys involved in sports that include frequent running or jumping are particularly prone to this condition.

Tendon Injuries

Tendon injuries in the knee can be caused by anything from tendonitis to a ruptured or torn tendon. Overuse can cause the tendon to stretch like a rubber band, later becoming inflamed.

Knee Cartilage Injuries

A softening of the kneecap cartilage, called chondromalacipatellae, occurs most often in runners, skiers, cyclists and soccer players.

Referred Pain

Referred pain can result from low back facet joints, sacroiliac joints, hip joints, and muscles surrounding the knee, nerve compression in the low back, pelvis and thigh, or biomechanical dysfunction of surrounding joints in the feet, hips and pelvis.

When Should I Get Chiropractic Treatment for Knee Pain?

The knee is a complex joint that relies heavily on ligaments and muscles for stability. When pain is perceived as coming from the knee, all the anatomical components need to be examined, and in addition to the knee joint, the low back, pelvis, hip, ankle and foot need to be examined due to the direct influence they have on the knee, and vice versa.

Our approach to assessing and treating the knee includes the evaluation of the other joints and muscles relating to the knee. This is for several reasons:

• Pain can often be referred from the low back, pelvis and hip into the knee
• If other joints in the legs are not working correctly, they put pressure on the knee

Ask Yourself These Questions

If you answer yes to any of them, then chiropractic treatment may be your knee injury treatment solution.

• Is knee pain limiting your day-to-day or sporting activities?
• Have you been given painkillers or taken anti-inflammatory drugs and been told to rest with no long-term improvement?
• You have been told you have arthritis?