Patients with knee pain are one of the fastest growing demographics in our offices. I think it’s because Dr. Karen and myself, and all the other chiropractic physicians out there, have started doing a much better job educating the public that we are much more than “back doctors”. I describe chiropractors as Musculoskeletal specialists; that means wherever you have muscles and joints, we can treat that area. Sounds like pretty much all over the whole body doesn’t it?
The knees are just one of the hundreds of joints in the body and are susceptible to the same types of injuries and maladies as every other joint. They can have a movement problem (like the subluxation complexes of the spine), they can degrade and break down, or the supporting structures (muscles/tendons/ligaments) can be broken or injured. Or of course a mixture of all three.
The first two of those issues are easy for us (chiropractors) because they are treated in very much the same way. The only difference is the length of time it’ll take to get you feeling better and what we call maximum medical improvement. Once the cartilage and bony parts of the knee start to break down, it takes a lot longer to relieve the pain and it’s unlikely we’ll ever get you 100% pain free. Will you still feel better? ABSOLUTELY. The transformation in our older patients with bad knees is an amazing thing to watch. The day they stop using their cane to move around again brings a lot of happiness to our office.
The reason why a movement dysfunction of the knee and degeneration is treated the same is because…well really they are typically the same in origin. Degeneration starts as a movement dysfunction. Early on the knee stops moving properly, and that increases the level of stress inside the knee joint. Once that happens, it’s only a matter of time before the cartilage starts to break down. It can be a lot more complicated than that, but that’s one of the easiest ways to explain it.
If you have knee pain because one or many parts of the supporting structures are injured, things start to become more difficult. Now we are starting to talk about ACL tears or meniscus problems. If its only a grade 1 or early grade 2 tear, sprain, or strain we can probably fix that here with chiropractic care. We will mix our chiropractic care with physical therapy and rehab, trying to maximize the strength left in the supporting structures.
With many grade 2 and all grade 3 injuries, now we are talking about surgery. Again, there is still a lot of benefit in chiropractic care for people with these problems, but we co-manage with our friends in the medical community to get you the care you need.
99 out of a 100 times, we can help your knee pain. Quicker, easier, less invasive, and a whole lot cheaper than your other alternatives. If you suffer from knee pain, give us a call and get us to check it out before signing up for surgery or any other kind of treatment. You’ll thank us sooner AND later.
Dr. Andy, your Burlington, NC chiropractor, specializes in providing evidence-based, conservative care for our Alamance County desk workers, teachers, and Crossfit athletes. Schedule an appointment with him today via our website or call us at 336-270-3050.
