Chiropractic Treatment for Knee Pain From Bournemouth Chiropractors at Charminster Chiropractic Clinic

Knee pain is a common issue that can affect people of any age and a common struggle the Bournemouth chiropractors at Charminster Chiropractic Clinic offer chiropractic treatment to. There are many reasons why your knee might hurt, so recognising the symptoms is important for figuring out how to treat it. Some typical signs of knee pain include pain that gets worse when you move, swelling, redness, stiffness, trouble moving your knee, and sometimes a crunching or cracking sound when you bend it.

Knee pain can be caused by different issues such as knee arthritis (degeneration of the joint that happens over time), meniscus tears, ACL injuries (often from sports), runner’s knee, jumper’s knee, and bursitis. The treatment depends on what’s causing the pain, which is why it’s important to get checked by a chiropractor. Chiropractic treatment and exercises can also help improve your knee pain and prevent future problems. In some serious cases, surgery might be needed.

If you’re dealing with knee pain, it can be a good idea to see one of our Bournemouth chiropractors at Charminster Chiropractic Clinic so that we can figure out what’s wrong and help you recover and get back to your usual activities without discomfort.

What is Knee Pain?

Knee pain is a common issue that can affect people of any age. It refers to discomfort, soreness, or pain around the knee joint. Your knee is made up of several parts, like bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and muscles, all working together to help you move and support your weight. Because the knee is so important for things like walking, running, and jumping, it’s easy for it to get injured or develop problems over time, which can lead to pain.

Common Causes of Knee Pain

Knee pain can come from a lot of different things and present very different or similar depending on the cause.

Injuries: These include things like fractures, ACL tears, meniscus tears, dislocations, and bursitis. These injuries usually happen from playing sports, falling, or accidents.
Degenerative Conditions: One of the most common is osteoarthritis, which happens when the cartilage in your knee wears down over time. Other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and gout can also cause knee pain by making the joint inflamed.
Overuse and Mechanical Issues: Doing the same activity over and over—like running, jumping, or kneeling—can cause problems like patellar tendinitis (inflammation in the tendon), runner’s knee, or iliotibial band syndrome.
Infections: A serious infection called septic arthritis can cause sudden knee pain, swelling, and fever.
Other Conditions: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) happens when the area around or behind your kneecap hurts due to overuse or misalignment. Osgood-Schlatter disease is common in teens and causes pain and swelling just below the knee because of irritation where the tendon attaches to the shinbone.

Common Symptoms of Knee Pain

Knee pain can feel different depending on what’s causing it, but here are some common symptoms.

Pain: You might feel anything from a dull ache to sharp pain in the knee or in specific areas, like the front of your knee.
Swelling: This can happen when there’s inflammation or extra fluid around the knee.
Stiffness: You might find it hard to fully bend or straighten your knee, especially after sitting still for a while.
Instability: Sometimes your knee might feel like it’s going to give out or buckle when you put weight on it.
Redness and Warmth: If your knee looks red and feels warm, it could be a sign of inflammation from things like arthritis or infection.
Crepitus: This is a grinding or crunching sound or feeling when you move your knee, which can happen if there’s damage to the cartilage.

Common Types of Knee Pain

There are different types of knee pain, each with its own cause and symptoms.

Acute Traumatic Pain

This type happens suddenly after an injury, like breaking a bone, tearing a ligament (like the ACL or PCL), tearing the meniscus, or dislocating the kneecap. These injuries often happen during sports, from falling, or accidents.

Chronic Overuse Pain

This is common in people who do the same activity over and over, like athletes. It can cause issues like patellar tendinitis (pain in the tendon under the kneecap), iliotibial band syndrome (pain on the outside of the knee), or stress fractures.

Arthritic Pain

This type comes from conditions like osteoarthritis (wear and tear of the knee cartilage), rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease), or gout (pain caused by uric acid crystals in the joint).

Mechanical Symptoms

This includes feeling like your knee is locking, catching, or giving out. It’s usually a sign of problems like meniscus tears or loose pieces of cartilage in the knee.

Referred Pain

Sometimes knee pain isn’t actually coming from the knee itself. It might be from issues with the hip or lower back, like sciatica or hip arthritis, but you feel the pain in your knee.

When to Seek Urgent Help for Knee Pain

There are times when knee pain needs immediate medical attention and if you notice any of these signs, it’s important to see a doctor quickly to avoid further injury.

Severe Pain: If you have intense pain, especially after an injury, it could mean you have a broken bone, a torn ligament, or a dislocated knee.
Inability to Put Weight on It: If you can’t stand or walk on your knee, you may have a serious injury that needs to be checked out right away.
Significant Swelling: If your knee is swollen, warm, red, or you have a fever, it could mean there’s an infection or another serious issue.
Sudden Symptoms: If you hear or feel a pop after twisting your knee or falling, it could be a sign of a torn ligament or meniscus.
Numbness or Tingling: If your knee pain is paired with numbness, tingling, or weakness in your leg, it might be a sign of a nerve problem.

Risk Factors for Knee Pain

Certain things can increase your chances of getting knee pain:

Age: As people get older, they’re more likely to develop issues like osteoarthritis (wear and tear in the joints).
Gender: Some injuries, like ACL tears, happen more often in girls, while osteoarthritis can affect both boys and girls equally.
Obesity: Being overweight puts extra pressure on your knees, which can wear them down faster and increase the risk of problems like osteoarthritis.
Activities: Jobs or sports that involve a lot of knee movement—like kneeling, squatting, or jumping—can lead to overuse injuries.
Previous Knee Injuries: If you’ve hurt your knee before or had surgery on it, you’re more likely to have knee problems in the future.
Genetics: If your family has a history of joint issues like arthritis, you might be more likely to have knee pain too.

Examination and Diagnosis of Knee Pain

Chiropractic assessment examines to figuring out what’s causing knee pain. It often involves a few steps.

Comprehensive History

We will ask questions about when the pain started, how long you’ve had it, if it’s getting worse, and if you’ve had any injuries or medical conditions. We’ll also want to know what activities make the pain better or worse.

Physical Examination

We will check your knee for swelling, pain, warmth, and how well you can move it. Additionally, we test how stable your knee is and look for any signs that something might be wrong inside the joint.

Imaging Studies & Radiography

Radiography such as X-rays can show if there are problems with the bones, like fractures or arthritis. An MRI might be done to see the soft tissues like ligaments, tendons, and cartilage to check for tears or inflammation.

Laboratory Tests

Sometimes, we might refer you to the doctor to do blood tests to check for signs of inflammation or to see if your immune system is causing the problem, like with rheumatoid arthritis.

Diagnostic Injections

In some cases, we can refer you to the doctor who may inject a numbing medicine into the knee to figure out exactly where the pain is coming from.

Chiropractic Treatment for Knee Pain

Chiropractic care is a gentle and non-surgical way to help with knee pain. chiropractors work closely with you to create a treatment plan that fits your needs, helping you feel better and stay active.

Manual Therapies: Chiropractors use hands-on techniques such as adjustments and mobilisation to move your knee joints in order to restore normal function. This helps reduce pain and allows your knee to move more freely.
Soft Tissue Techniques: We also work on your muscles using methods like myofascial release (which helps relieve tightness) and trigger point therapy (targeting specific spots in muscles) to reduce soreness and help your muscles heal.
Exercise Prescription: Chiropractors give you specific exercises to make the muscles around your knee stronger, improve your flexibility, and make sure your knee is stable and working correctly.
Therapy Tools: We might use machines or tools like ultrasound or refer for shockwave therapy (electrical stimulation) to help with pain and swelling and speeding up your healing process.
Patient Education: Chiropractors will teach you about good posture, how to sit and stand properly, and home exercises that can help you recover and keep your knees healthy in the long run.

Prognosis for Knee Pain

How well you recover from knee pain depends on what’s causing it, how severe it is, and how well you respond to treatment. Catching knee issues early, sticking to your treatment plan, and making some lifestyle changes can really help improve your recovery and manage knee pain effectively.

Acute Injuries

If you have a sudden injury, like a ligament tear or a fracture, getting medical help quickly can lead to a good recovery. Many of these injuries can heal well in weeks and with the right treatment and don’t usually cause long-term problems.

Chronic Conditions

If you have ongoing issues like osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear on the knee) or rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease), you’ll need to manage your symptoms over time. This means regular treatment to help you stay active and keep your knee functioning well.

Surgery

If chiropractic treatmnt or other treatments don’t work, we might refer you to the doctor who might suggest surgery. Options could include arthroscopy (a type of minimally invasive surgery), ligament reconstruction, or even joint replacement. These surgeries aim to relieve pain and help your knee work better.

Rehabilitation

After an injury or surgery, doing rehab is very important. This includes exercises that help you regain strength and flexibility and lower the chances of future problems.

By following these tips and working with our Bournemouth chiropractors at Charminster Chiropractic Clinic, you can receive chiropractic treatment for your knee pain to improve your chances of pain relief, better leg movement and function. Book your chiropractic appointment here today!

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