Knee Pain Relief

The knee is the largest and most stressed joint in the body.  It is important to treat injuries as soon as you can to prevent problems in the future.

Knee pain can seriously interfere with your life.  The treatments at Forward Health can relieve your pain naturally, sparing you the need for potentially harmful medication or surgical correction.  We examine your knees for signs of misalignment or structural damage, in addition to examining your stance, posture, gait, and range of motion. After your physical exam is complete, we will prescribe a therapy plan for you, aimed at relieving unnatural stresses and strains, and normalizing your joint function.

You will be given targeted exercises designed for relieving joint pain and stabilizing the knee tissues working toward equalizing the weight load on both sides of your body.  Additional specialized treatments may also be added such as Trigenics, (myo-fascial release techniques) mobilizations to improve joint movement or other soft tissue treatments that relieve pain and promote knee pain relief.

How Can Knee Pain Develop?

Your knee is a hinge joint, confined to forward-and-backward motions. Individually, your knees support more weight than the hips, 6 times your body weight when doing a squat. Proper movement of both your hip and knees allows complicated motions giving you the ability to stand, walk, run, and dance without falling over.  Over 70% of the weight bearing happens on the inside (medial) knee joint.

Pain felt in the knees may originate in the joints themselves, but it may also be a result of an underlying condition in another part of the body. Your hips and knees are part of the same kinetic chain, meaning they make up a combination of weight-bearing joints that must function together in harmony to function properly.

Therefore, a problem with your knee joint may transmit abnormal forces to your hips, and vice versa. If one part of the kinetic chain is out of balance, stress and deterioration may be placed on another.  Symptoms can be:

• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Redness or feeling warm
• Not able to fully extend or flex the knee
• A sensation of instability or “giving out” of the knee
• Popping noises upon movement
• Unable to put weight on the knee, especially after strenuous activity.

Dull, achy knee pain is often a sign of a chronic condition that causes damage over time. Knees are used so often for walking, stepping, sitting, climbing, even standing making them susceptible to various conditions that can cause dull or achy pain.  If your pain is constant and does not go away, you should see a doctor.

Common Causes of Knee Pain:

Overuse injuries such as tendinitis and chronic muscle strain are common in both the knees because these joints are constantly in use, and acute injuries, such as sprains, strains, and dislocation.  Imbalances in your stance or gait may cause abnormal stresses and premature wear-and-tear in your hips and knees, resulting in painful symptoms.

1.  Patellofemoral pain syndrome

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) has many names including runner’s knee. It is common and often from overuse while training for sports, especially if you have already had a knee injury or misalignment in the knee joint. This wears away the cartilage beneath the kneecap (patella), leading to pain during exercise.  Symptoms may include dull pain at the front of the knee and around the kneecap when running, squatting, climbing stairs, or sitting with knees bent.

2.  Meniscal injury

The menisci are two pieces of cartilage that act like shock absorbers in the knee and are between the lower end of the thigh bone and the top of the shinbone. The meniscus is often damaged during another injury to the knee, especially when there’s a forceful, twisting movement or a direct hit like a tackle.  Anyone can tear a meniscus while doing everyday activity if the cartilage has become thin and worn over time.  Symptoms may include Pain, stiffness, and swelling or knee catches, locks up, or gives way.

3.  Prepatellar bursitis

Prepatellar bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa, small cushion-like structures that are in the front of the kneecap. Infrapatellar bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa beneath the kneecap caused by overuse. It can also be from osteoarthritis of the knee or a knee that turns outward.  Symptoms may include pain, tenderness, and swelling of the kneecap.  Pain in one knee, sudden knee pain, pain that gets worse when going up stairs or standing up.

4.  Knee arthritis

Knee arthritis is when there is inflammation and unusual wear and tear of one or both of the two joints in the knee.  There are different types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is most common. It is from damage to the cartilage that over time causes bones in the knee to rub together. Rheumatoid arthritis is from an autoimmune condition that attacks the joint. Post-traumatic arthritis is from an injury and is similar to osteoarthritis.  Symptoms may include pain in both knees, which is worse when moving the joint, Knee stiffness, especially in the morning.  Knee instability, swollen knee, difficulty walking or pain when resting.

5.  Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome

Iliotibial band syndrome is also called IT syndrome. The iliotibial band is a long, thick connective tissue. The band starts at the top of the hip bone, runs down the outside of the leg, and attaches to the side of the knee. IT is an overuse syndrome. Athletes and especially runners and cyclists, are most likely to get it. It happens when the IT band constantly rubs against the outside of the knee joint, causing pain and inflammation. Symptoms may include pain in one knee, or outside of the knee, especially while running or while sitting with the knee flexed.

What Else Could It Be?

Knee pain can be caused by a great number of problems. Some of these are related to musculoskeletal misalignment, poor posture, and/or excess weight; others occur as the result of natural aging or unhealthy sports/work habits. Your knee pain could also stem from:

• Traumatic injuries, such as dislocation of the joint
• Postural/alignment issues that throw your body off balance, straining the knees.
• Tendinitis, or stretched ligaments.
• Infections

Move With Comfort and Ease

The knee is considered a complex hinge joint with a network of muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone, and cartilage all working together to keep you moving. With this many moving parts, it’s not surprising that as we age or engage in strenuous activity that we sometimes experience pain. When you’re suffering from knee pain it can make doing even the most basic daily activities difficult.

Understanding the causes of knee problems is often the key to effectively treating them. If you’re struggling with knee pain, we can help you reduce or even eliminate the amount of pain you’re experiencing.  We offer a non-invasive solution for knee pain.

Self-Care

Practicing these habits can keep you healthier overall and delay surgery as long as possible. It is important to pursue several different self-care approaches simultaneously. They are listed below.

• Maintain a Healthy Weight – Excess weight worsens knee irritation.
• Control Blood Sugar – high glucose levels can make cartilage stiffer and more likely to break down.
• Maintain Range of Motion – Movement is medicine for joints. Make a habit of putting your joints through their full range of motion, but only up to the point where it doesn’t cause more pain.
• Protect Joints – Make sure to warm up and cool down when doing exercise. If you play sports, protect your joints with the right gear.
• Relax – find ways to relax and recharge.
• Choose a Healthy Lifestyle – Eating healthy food, and getting good sleep will help you to feel your best.

Find Relief Today – Schedule Your Appointment

It is time to take a stand against your knee pain and get started on the path toward long-lasting knee pain relief.

We are trained to diagnose and treat knee pain to help ease your pain and restore movement. Improving quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement.  Care programs can help you safely return to your desired activities. Some general treatment techniques may include:

• Patient education. We will work with you to identify and change any factors causing your pain and recommend improvements to your daily activities.
• Range-of-motion exercise. If the mobility (movement) of your knee is limited, it can cause increased stress on your knee. Lack of movement in your hip, foot, or ankle also may be forcing your knee to work at a disadvantage. We can teach you stretching techniques to decrease tension and help restore the normal motion of your joints.
• Manual therapy.  We provide treatment by applying hands-on therapy to gently move your muscles and joints. These techniques help to restore and improve proper motion and improve your strength.
• Muscle strengthening and function. Muscle weaknesses or imbalances can cause some knee conditions and continued symptoms.

Call us today to find out how we can quickly and effectively alleviate your knee pain!

The information is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

It is for informational purposes only.

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