Chiropractic for Knee Pain

Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic ailments treated by chiropractors. The knee takes a huge amount of stress, as it is built only to bend in one direction; however, many movements we make force the knee to bend slightly in other directions, along with having to support the weight of the body, which can lead to knee pain and injury. It is quite easy to damage the tendons, ligaments, meniscus (knee cartilage) and bones that comprise the knee, and this damage can take months to recover from.

Having chronic knee pain can seriously interfere with your life, making it difficult to do the simplest everyday things such as walking up and down stairs, grocery shopping or even just walking across the room. Knee pain can be chronic (i.e. stemming from osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, etc.) or acute (i.e. stemming from an accident, sports injury, etc.) Whether due to previous injury, increased body weight or just living longer, degenerative knee pain and is a condition that is becoming much more common in people over age 50, and the chronic pain, swelling and inflammation can put you at higher risk of arthritis.

Hyperpronation (putting most of your weight on the outsides of your feet as you walk) can be a cause of knee pain. You may be able to determine if you are hyperpronating by examining the heels of your shoes. If they are excessively worn on the outsides, this is likely due to hyperpronation, and you may want to look into getting special foot supports to correct this problem.

While injury to the knee itself is quite common, some people are not aware of the fact that sometimes the pain in their knee may not be due to a knee injury, but is actually referred pain from an irritated nerve in the lower back area of the spinal column. Many with pain in their knees report also having pain in their lower back and pelvis, which may be due to inflammation around the nerves connecting the knee to the spinal cord.

While pain medication or cortisone shots may provide temporary pain relief, they do not address the root cause of the problem, and long-term use of either of these medications is not recommended. However, a qualified chiropractor can evaluate your condition and provide safe, holistic treatment that doesn’t involve the use of drugs or surgery.

Chiropractic treatment may involve spinal adjustments, joint manipulation, stretches, exercises and advice on footwear or orthotics that will address the cause of your knee pain and start you on the road to healing.

How Do Salt Lake Chiropractors Help After an Auto Accident?

Though damage to your car may be the first thing you think of after an auto accident, the damage to your body may be far worse, Salt Lake Chiropractor says.

People are often surprised to find themselves suffering from pain days, weeks or even months after having had a minor auto accident such as a small rear-end collision. Obviously, if you have had a more major accident, go directly to the hospital so you can be treated for bleeding, organ damage, broken bones or other trauma. However, after any life-threatening emergencies have been treated, it is a good idea to visit a chiropractor.

Chiropractors are skilled in addressing the misalignments in the musculoskeletal system that so often happen after being involved in an auto accident, particularly misaligned vertebrae. The injury suffered by the upper part of the spine in a crash can be particularly acute, resulting in postconcussion syndrome and mild traumatic brain injuries that may keep the patient from fully healing. An auto accident can irritate nerves and cause damage to your vertebrae, tendons and ligaments supporting the spine.

The most common condition that chiropractors treat after such an event is whiplash. Whiplash from a rear-end collision (representing fully a third of all auto accident types) can cause a great amount of long-term pain. Though the introduction of mandatory safety belts has helped save lives, it can contribute to whiplash. When hit from behind, the seat belt keeps your body from being flung forward, however, there is no such restraint on your head. What first happens is that your trunk, supported by the back of your seat, jolts forward, but your unsupported head snaps back. This can cause hyperextension, tearing the muscles and ligaments in the front of your neck. Then when your car stops moving your body is flung forward, restrained by your seat belt, but there is nothing to keep your head from snapping forward, injuring the muscles and ligaments in the back of your neck.

You may not feel much pain immediately following an accident (In fact, you might not feel any at all!). This is because your body’s natural pain-killing endorphins are released when the body is injured, masking possible problems. However, you may later experience neck pain or pain radiating into the shoulder and down the arm into the hand.

Some of the symptoms you may experience after an auto accident that can be helped by chiropractic treatment are headaches, dizziness, lower back pain, neck pain and TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint) pain. A study in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine found that 93% of those suffering from the effects of chronic whiplash experienced improvement with chiropractic care. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be effective in relieving pain after an auto accident and reducing the likelihood of it becoming a chronic problem.

Author Bio:

Dr. Matt Ramirez graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Human Biology in 2004 and received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree in 2006. He is a Salt Lake Chiropractor who specializes in auto injury recovery and rehabilitation and has enhanced and improved thousands of lives as well as treated people of all ages over the years. He is also an expert in health and wellness, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and more...