Knee Injuries seen in Chiropractic Practice

Common Causes of Knee Pain

Knee pain is a common complaint that we see in our Chiropractic centres.

It is a big subject, so we have listed the most common causes below that we see in our Chiropractic centres. If you do not find what you are looking for please contact us. We are happy to help.

1) Local Causes:

Trauma - causing excessive movement (instability)
Overuse - repetitive movements, associated joint dysfunction
Inflammatory conditions (inflammatory arthritis) - rare
Underlying pathology (osteomyelitis/infection, tumours) - very rare

2) Referred pain from:

Low back facet joints
Sacroiliac joints
Hip joints
Muscles over the hips and surrounding the knee

3) Nerve compression in:

Low back
Pelvis
Thigh

4) Biomechanical dysfunction of surrounding joints:

Feet e.g. flat feet, pronation
Hip
Pelvis

What can I do to prevent knee pain?

Traumatic injuries

When it comes to traumatic injuries we suggest that you use common sense in the activity you participate in;

use appropriate equipment,
assess the risk,
don't push yourself beyond your ability and
don’t participate if you are injured.

Remember, the fitter and stronger you are the less likely you are to have an injury,

so prepare yourself well for the activity you are planning to participate in
and warm up before starting the activity.

Overuse injuries

When it comes to overuse injuries

it is important to have a structured training programme.
Build up your activities gradually.

Remember that by the time the pain appears it is too late and the amount of rest you may need to get over it, will spoil your plans to participate in the event you where so looking forward to.

As a rule of thumb, if you are new to an activity or haven’t done it for a long time,

don’t do it more than twice a week to start with
and do half the distance or time you were planning to do.

If you have a training partner, just remember

we are all different and need different amount of rest between sessions
and we can cope with different levels of training.

As with all orthopaedic conditions involving the muscles and joints, it is important not to ignore them. The longer you leave a problem to progress the more difficult it will be to help and treat it.

For example, with patello-femoral pain the injury causes inflammation in the joint and during the inflammatory process chemicals are released inside it that reduce the lubrication of the joint, which promote further breakdown of the cartilage. So it becomes a vicious cycle.

It is compounded further by taking anti-inflammatory medication, some of which have been shown to slow down healing or even promote breakdown of joint cartilage.

Please select from the list below to read more about specific conditions and how Chiropractic treatment can help.

Location of pain in different knee disorders

Location of pain in different knee disorders divided into, 1. Traumatic injuries (e.g. impact, collision, fall), and, 2. Non-traumatic injuries (e.g. overuse injuries, gradual onset).

Pain in the front of the knee (anterior)

• Traumatic injuries

Bursitis - a fluid filled sac, which protects surrounding tissues, may become inflamed
Patella (kneecap) fracture

• Non-traumatic injuries

Patello-femoral disorders - often due to overuse
Patella tendonitis - excessive jumping e.g. basketball players
Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome

Pain in the back of the knee (posterior)

• Traumatic injuries

Bursitis
Calf muscle tear
Posterior cruciate ligament tear

• Non-traumatic injuries

Hamstring tendonitis
Osteoarthritis (OA) - common in over 40s
Bursitis
Bakers cyst

Pain on the inside of the knee (medial)

• Traumatic injuries

• Non-traumatic injuries

Medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain
Osteoarthritis (OA)

Pain on the outside of the knee (lateral)

• Traumatic injuries

Lateral collateral ligament (LCL) tear
Meniscus tear
Fibular head injury

• Non-traumatic injuries

Ilio-tibial band syndrome - common in runners
Popliteus tendonitis

This list might not have your particular problem listed, but if you need any more information on knee pain please contact our Chiropractic centres here. We are happy to help.