Knee Pain

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Chiropractic Care In Fort Collins And Loveland

Maybe it was after a long hike or maybe it was when you were moving those boxes. It could’ve even been from sleeping funny. Whatever the cause, you’ve now got lasting knee pain and it’s interrupting your quality of life. Knee pain is a common complaint and is caused by a number of things, like injury, age, and overuse. But rather than suffering through your knee pain, why not reach out to your trusted chiropractic team in Fort Collins and Loveland? We use different treatment modalities to address the source of your knee pain.

 

Are You Experiencing The Symptoms Of Knee Pain?

  • Swelling around the knee.
  • Moving the knee feels stiff and sore.
  • The area is red and inflamed, and feels warm to the touch.
  • Your knee feels weak or unstable.
  • You hear popping or crunching noises when moving your knee
  • You can’t fully straighten your leg because of your knee pain.
  • There are obvious deformities or injuries to your knee.

 

We’re Here To Help

The knee is a common place for pain to occur. Knee pain can occur at any age, from a number of causes. Patients of all ages and activity levels can relate to knee pain. The knee can be injured from a sports-related injury, chronic conditions like arthritis, or from problems while growing in childhood and adolescence.

Knee pain can be frustrating for patients because treatment can be difficult depending on the cause. Occasionally, pain in the knee can be from the lower back, causing radiating pain. Age and activity level will help to determine the common causes of knee problems and the appropriate treatment.

The Doctors of Chiropractic at Scott Family Health can help you determine what is causing your pain, and the best steps to alleviate your symptoms.

Treatment may vary depending on the diagnosis. Treatment may include a chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture or massage therapy, and possibly physical therapy. X-rays or other diagnostic tests may be necessary to determine the best care for your condition.

How Knee Pain Begins

Our knees see a lot of use, whether you’re running a marathon or just running some errands. That means that a variety of issues, injuries, and conditions can cause knee pain. Some of the most common causes of knee pain are from injuries like a sprained ligament, meniscus tear, tendinitis, or “runner’s knee.” If you’ve suffered from a knee injury in the past, but never had it properly treated, you might now be dealing with recurring pain.

There are other sources of knee pain, of course. In some cases, it could be caused by a small sac of fluid that’s under the skin and above your knee joints called a bursa. Your kneecap may be dislocated, causing pain and inflammation. It could also be an issue with your iliotibial (or IT) band. With repeated, sustained use, this can become inflamed, causing pain along the outer edge of the knee. The cartilage in your knee could also suffer from a meniscal tear, where the cartilage in the knee rips. The torn edges get stuck in the joint, causing pain and swelling. There’s also just regular wear and tear that occurs over time and with use.

 

Arthritis of the Knee

Arthritis can occur in any of your joints, and given that your knee is one of your largest and strongest joints in your body, it’s no surprise that it’s susceptible to arthritis. The two most common forms of arthritis of the knee are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the single most common form of knee arthritis. This is a degenerative issue, caused by the wear and tear of age. Generally, osteoarthritis is found in people 50 years of age and older, but it can occur in younger people too. With time and use, the cartilage in the joint of the knee begins to wear away, becoming coarse and torn. As the damage occurs, the space between the bones in the knee recedes, causing the bones to rub against one another, leading to harmful bone spurs. Osteoarthritis develops slowly over time, and the pain becomes more pronounced.

While osteoarthritis of the knee occurs over time, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease. This type of knee arthritis affects multiple joints in the body, including the knee. When you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis in the knee, it’s because your synovial membrane begins to swell. This is the membrane that covers the knee joint, and when it becomes inflamed, it causes pain and stiffness. This is an autoimmune disease, and your own immune system attacks the tissues in your knee. Left unchecked, this disease can damage tissues like your cartilage and ligaments, eventually softening the bones in your knee.

Treating arthritis of the knee can be accomplished in a number of ways. Simple lifestyle changes like losing weight and participating in low impact activities can help. But in more serious cases, other options might be necessary. Physical therapy is a proven method to strengthen the knee joints while also increasing your range of motion and flexibility. Acupuncture stimulates certain areas in the joint to stimulate pain relief, and can also be used to temporarily numb the area.

 

Osgood-Schlatters

Common amongst children and teenagers who are still growing, Osgood-Schlatters generally develops in just one knee. Most commonly, athletic boys between the ages of 10 and 15 will suffer from Osgood-Schlatters, especially if they play games and sports that focus on running and jumping.

This form of knee pain is caused by the irritation of the growth plates in the bones of the leg and knee. While a child grows, the areas of growth are made from cartilage rather than bone, and since cartilage isn’t nearly as strong, the stress on the growth plates from exercise and play can cause pain. The pain is caused by the swelling of the area below the knee joint where your patellar tendon attaches to the tibia. In some cases, the patellar tendon may also become inflamed as it stretches over the knee cap.

This form of knee pain usually resolves itself with rest and time. Simple lifestyle changes like taking a break from some sports or forms of play for a while can help, too. Others wear a knee pad to help protect the knee from contact with the ground or other players. Stretching through massage and physical therapy can also help to increase the flexibility of the muscles around the knee, limiting the swelling and pain.

 

Post-Surgical Treatment

One of the most common orthopedic surgeries is a knee replacement. When your knee joint has worn out, a replacement removes any worn out cartilage and reshapes the end of the bone. While these surgeries are performed with regularity, that doesn’t mean they aren’t fool proof. A common part of the post-surgery recovery process involves managing pain.

Post-surgical knee pain can stem from a myriad of sources. In some cases, this pain can manifest years after the surgery is completed and healed. This is caused by the loosening of the implants within the knee. There’s always concern that a recent implant can become infected, and could cause more than just pain. While the symptoms of infection are usually easy to catch, minor infections can be a long-lasting source of knee pain. There could also be alignment issues stemming from the position and size of the new implant.

Depending on the cause of your post-surgical knee pain, your doctor may prescribe a variety of different treatment options. Antibiotics and other pain killing drugs may be used in the case of an infection. For other pain, a second, corrective surgery might be necessary. In any case, physical therapy and massage play a pivotal role in helping you redevelop strength, flexibility, and mobility in the knee, helping your body to adjust to your replacement.

 

Tendon and Ligament Injuries

More than just bones, there are a variety of important structures and parts of the knee that can be damaged, dislocated, strained, and torn. Most knee injuries actually involve multiple parts of the knee being damaged at the same time.

Tendon injuries, like tears, often occur in the quadriceps and patellar tendons. These injuries are common among those who play running and jumping sports, or those entering middle age. These tendon injuries are often caused by direct force to the knee, or landing awkwardly, which causes the tendons to stretch to the point of failure.

There are a variety of common knee ligament injuries, like ACL, PCL and collateral ligament injuries. The anterior cruciate ligament is typically injured during an activity like soccer, skiing, or jumping. Sudden changes in direction can tear the ACL. The posterior cruciate ligament is generally injured by a blow to the front of the knee while it’s bent. This commonly happens during a vehicle crash or during a contact sport. Damage to the collateral ligaments typically occurs when the knee is pushed sideways, usually from a direct blow to the side of the knee.

For both ligament and tendon injuries, physical therapy is a vital part of the recovery process. By practicing specific exercises and stretches, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the knee are supported and strengthened.