As two of the most complex and reliable joints in your body, your knees handle a fair amount of stress, strain, and everyday wear-and-tear. While they may be strong and resilient, they’re also prone to a wide range of painful injuries, conditions, and structural disorders. You don’t have to live with knee pain: Michael R. Lodes, DC and the skilled team at Lodes Chiropractic Center can get to the root of your pain and help you resolve it. Call our office at 302-477-1565 or schedule an appointment online today.
Knee Pain Q & A
Why do my knees hurt?
Healthy, fully functional knees can handle a considerable amount of pressure, but as high-use weight-bearing joints, they’re also more susceptible to injury and long-term damage.
Athletes and other highly active people have the greatest risk of developing stress-related injuries that affect the knee’s stabilizing ligaments. This includes a torn or sprained ACL, MCL, or meniscus, and similar injuries caused by twisting, turning, or pivoting too quickly.
Those who are less active or completely sedentary are more likely to develop chronic knee pain caused by a degenerative condition like osteoarthritis, tendonitis, or bursitis. Other causes of persistent knee pain include:
- Acute sprains or strains
- Patellofemoral syndrome (front knee pain)
- IT band syndrome
- Septic arthritis (knee infection)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic knee pain may be accompanied by swelling, stiffness, weakness, instability, or audible popping or crunching sounds.
Which factors contribute to knee pain?
Whether your knee pain is symptomatic of a recent injury, a mechanical issue, or age-related degeneration, certain factors can compound the underlying problem and intensify your symptoms. Conditions that can contribute to the development of knee pain or make it worse include:
Excess body weight
Carrying too much excess fat places much more pressure on your load-bearing joints, making simple activities like walking or climbing stairs significantly harder on your knees.
Weak, inflexible muscles
Being sedentary causes your muscles to atrophy; if muscles that surround your knees aren’t strong enough to support the joint, the joint itself becomes less stable and prone to injury.
Previous knee injuries
If you’ve had a knee injury in the past, that joint is more vulnerable to future injury.
How is knee pain treated?
Effective knee pain treatment always begins with a comprehensive exam to determine the root cause of the problem. Once Dr. Lodes understands the nature and severity of your condition, he develops a personalized treatment plan that addresses the underlying problem, reduces inflammation, alleviates pain, and restores the optimal range of motion.
A comprehensive treatment plan for persistent knee pain often includes rest, ice, elevation, compression, massage, and physical therapy. Soft tissue adjustments can help optimize healing in the joint itself as well as in its supporting structures, which may be stressed from too much overcompensation.
We also use advanced laser therapy to promote rapid cellular regeneration in tissues that are affected by trauma, inflammation, or malfunction. This gentle, effective method of pain relief uses light energy to initiate a series of cellular reactions that help normalize injured tissue to ease pain, reduce inflammation, and accelerate the healing process.
If you’re tired of being held back by chronic knee pain, call Lodes Chiropractic Center at 302-477-1565 or book an appointment online today.
