When your knee hurts, it can be hard to do almost anything. Walking up and down stairs is at best boring, and even a simple hallway can seem like an obstacle course. Even more discouraging is if you’ve tried painkillers or muscle relaxers but the pain still won’t go away. Surgery isn’t your only choice. Did you know that chiropractic care can be used to treat knee pain?
Why does my knee hurt?
Knee pain can be caused by several things. From something as simple as bad posture to a serious injury from a car accident, all kinds of things can cause pain. Some of the other causes are arthritis, torn ligaments and tendons, tears in the meniscus, and damage to the knee cartilage.
Referred pain, which is when you feel pain in one place but it’s actually coming from somewhere else, is also often linked to knee pain.
This means, basically, that pain in the knee can be caused by problems or injuries in other parts of the body. Most of the time, this is caused by things like pinched nerves in the lower back or problems with the muscles around the knee.
What can a chiropractor do for you?
If you’ve never been to a chiropractor before, you might be surprised by how many ways you can be treated. A chiropractor has many ways to treat knee pain, but they usually start by doing a full evaluation to find out what is causing the pain. As we’ve already talked about, knee pain can be caused by many different things, and your treatment plan might depend a lot on what’s causing the pain in the first place.
Instead of just treating the symptoms, one of the most important parts of chiropractic care is getting to the root of the problem. Your chiropractor will ask you a lot of questions about your health and do a thorough exam. This is important because our bones, muscles, tissues, and nerves are all connected. If even one of these parts is out of place, it can affect the other parts as well.
Different Ways to Treat Knee Pain
Once the exact cause of your knee pain has been found, the chiropractor may do several things to help. Treatments will, of course, be different based on what each patient needs. Here are some of the treatments that your chiropractor might recommend. Most likely, treatment plans will include some of these options as well as others that aren’t on this list.
- In some situations, even if it’s just for a short time, support devices may be suggested. While the source of the knee pain is being treated, these devices may help the person move around better and keep them from getting hurt more.
- As a part of treatment, ice can also help reduce swelling. This can also help to ease pain and muscle spasms.
- Deep tissue massage is another treatment for knee pain that chiropractors may suggest. This can help ease pain and make it easier to move.
- Knee pain can also be treated with chiropractic manipulation, adjustments, and mobilization. As we’ve already talked about, pain in one part of the body can often be caused by something else. This means that manipulation may be done not only in the area where the pain is but also in other parts of the body.
- Supplements that are good for joint health may also be given.
- Injections can be given to the joint, which can help for a few weeks or even months.
- Lastly, chiropractors may also suggest physical therapy as a way to treat the problem. Physical therapy can help in many ways, such as by making you stronger, more stable, and better able to keep your balance.
When does knee pain mean I should see a chiropractor?
The short answer is as soon as you know you’re in trouble of any kind. Unfortunately, by the time you feel pain, the damage has likely already been done for a while. The less likely it is that you will have permanent damage, the sooner your chiropractor can find the cause of your pain and treat it.
Still, some things might also make you want to see a chiropractor about your knee pain. Here are just a few of them:
Your knee pain is making it hard for you to do the things you need to do or things that make you happy. It’s also stopping you from playing sports or working out or doing other things that are important or bring you joy.
You may also feel tenderness in the skin around the knee, tingling and numbness, swelling, and instability, in addition to pain in the joint. You might also hear the knee pop or crack when you move it.
If you’ve been taking painkillers or other medicines but haven’t seen any long-term improvement or relief, you might want to see a chiropractor see what other options might be available.
If you have arthritis, you might think that there is nothing more that can be done. Chiropractic care might be able to help solve the problem.
If you’ve been told that surgery is your only option, it’s worth going to a chiropractor to see if there might be something else you can do. Most of the time, chiropractic care is much less expensive than surgery, and it is also much safer. What are you risking?
Talk to an experienced chiropractor.
If you have knee pain and are thinking about getting expensive and possibly dangerous surgery, or if your knee pain makes it hard for you to enjoy life in any way, you might want to talk to a licensed chiropractor. Most treatments for knee pain are non-invasive, comfortable, and very cheap, especially when compared to many other options.
Call Primary Health Center Chiropractic at (703) 354-8111 right now to find out more about how chiropractic care can help your knee pain. Our knowledgeable staff gives you a full evaluation and all the information you need to choose the best treatment for you.