If you suffer from knee pain or dysfunction, you know very well what a game changer it can be. At BodaHealth we understand that healthy knees are crucial for every step you take. Despite how important your knees are to everyday life, knee pain is one of the most common health complaints from people young and old alike.
The reason that so many people have knee problems is because your knee is a complicated weight bearing joint that’s prone to injuries, mechanical problems, and overuse. Symptoms of knee issues may include:
- Pain, which can be severe, have a sudden onset, and be related to an injury. Pain may also be chronic and related to specific activities.
- Inflammation, such as swelling, feeling warm to the touch, redness, stiffness.
- Loss of function, which may include inability to bear weight, feeling like the knee is going to give out, weakness, or popping/grinding noises.
Causes of Knee Pain
There is an almost unlimited number of causes of knee pain. Some of the most common include:
-Arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid or osteoarthritis.
-Bursitis. Your joints are protected by small gel-filled sacs that absorb shock and enable the joint to move easily. Knee bursitis is a condition when the bursa has been injured or become inflamed.
-Bone fractures.
-Meniscus tear. Your meniscus is a piece of protective cartilage that absorbs the shock between the two long bones of your leg, your femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). Your meniscus can be torn by sudden weight-bearing twisting moves.
-Torn ACL. Your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of the ligaments in your knee that connects your femur to your tibia. Your ACL is the most common to become torn, because it’s most vulnerable during movements that involve quick changes in direction.
-Muscle tightness or imbalances around your knee joint. Iliotibial band (ITB) issues, tight quads, hamstrings or calves can all contribute to knee pain.
-long term pressure on your knee cap (patella). Carpet layers and flooring installers often develop knee issues.
Overuse Injuries of the Knee
Overuse injuries sideline many active people. Three of the most common are described below:
Jumper’s knee is a descriptive name for patellar tendonitis, which is inflammation or thickening of the tendon that runs from your knee cap downward to the top of your shin bone. Your patellar tendon is engaged when you perform any motion that straightens your leg. Jumper’s knee occurs when stress is placed on the patellar tendon, especially from jumping and landing heavily. Inflammation or tearing of the tendon can cause pain, felt deep at the lower part of your knee cap. With this condition, the pain is aggravated by activities that cause bending and straightening of your leg, jumping, running, and walking.
In contrast, Runner’s knee comes from uneven movements as your kneecap slides across your femur (thigh bone). Normally, your kneecap glides freely against a groove at the lower end of your femur as you bend and straighten your leg. However, a muscle imbalance, overuse, an irregular gait, poor flexibility, or excessive body weight, can cause the kneecap to track in a way that causes pain and inflammation. Women are more prone to runner’s knee than men, because they frequently have a wider hip-to-knee angle, which can cause alignment issues. The pain associated with runner’s knee tends to be felt deep under the kneecap, and is aggravated by stairs, positions with your knees bent, and pushing directly on the kneecap.
Your iliotibial band (IT band) can also be the source of knee pain. Running from your hip and glutes all the way down to your knee, your IT band is a strip of connective tissue that helps to move your hip and stabilize your knee. IT band syndrome is inflammation from the band constantly running across the bony prominence of your thigh bone near the knee. The pain is felt at the side of your knee and tends to be worse when you’re going down stairs or doing repetitive motions that flex and extend your knee.
Treating Knee Pain at BodaHealth
At BodaHealth, we offer a number of effective treatment options for knee pain, depending on the nature of your injury or condition. After a careful assessment, your practitioner will develop a treatment plan that will include one or more of the following treatments:
- Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. A great deal of research has been conducted on the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating knee pain, with very promising results. Both osteoarthritis of the knee and chronic knee pain have been effectively treated with acupuncture. It has been found that acupuncture works to increase circulation in the injured area, reduce inflammation, increase the circulation of pain-reducing chemicals in your brain, and support the healing process. In addition to acupuncture, our practitioners also offer electric stimulation, cupping, food therapy, and Chinese herbal formulas to help reduce inflammation systemically and speed the healing process.
- Your knee pain may be treated with injection therapy. Hyaluronic acid injections can be effectively used to boost synovial fluid and open the joint space in patients with joint injuries or osteoarthritis. It is also used to reduce inflammation and support healing for patients with tendon injuries, such as Jumper’s knee, Runner’s knee, or IT band issues.
- Shockwave therapy is a powerful healing tool for patients with knee injuries. Using a pulsed acoustic wave, shockwave therapy can effectively reduce pain and promote healing changes in the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joint capsule of your knee.
- Our osteopathy practitioner is skilled and experienced in treating knee pain. Her focus is on the joints and muscles throughout your body. Diagnosis and treatment is hands on, and involves gentle manual manipulations, such as pressure, resistance, and stretching to promote circulation and correct your body’s biomechanics, reduce pain, and support healing.
- At BodaHealth, our doctors of naturopathy are able to perform a wide range of lab tests and assessments, as well as prescribe medications when necessary. Their expertise is in uncovering and treating nutritional and systemic problems to decrease inflammation and promote a speedy healing process. They work with knee pain patients to develop an anti-inflammatory diet, prescribe vitamin and nutritional supplements, and suggest lifestyle changes.
- We offer a wide variety of clinical Pilates and therapeutic exercise Our practitioners are experienced in assessing underlying muscle pathologies or imbalances and prescribing movements, stretches, and exercises to return you to full functioning. They may use fascial stretching, clinical Pilates, or exercise physiology to reduce pain, increase your range of motion, improve strength and flexibility, and prevent further injury.
- For many patients with knee pain and injury, the surrounding muscles are involved. At BodaHealth, we understand how important massage therapy is in the healing process. Our massage therapists are highly trained and have experience in working with knee injuries and pain. Their goal is to increase circulation throughout the injured area, loosen tight and injured muscles, increase flexibility, and support your healing process.
Whether you’re an athlete with an overuse condition or struggling with a knee injury, at BodaHealth, we’re prepared to help you with your knee pain. Our wide range of treatment offerings combined with our experienced staff allow us to offer you the most effective natural treatments available. Give us a call today to see how we can help eliminate your knee pain.
