Tips for Keeping Your Knees Healthy

As we age, it can be easy to think that certain aches and pains are simply a part of getting older. One common discomfort that arises with age is knee pain. It is never too early (or too late) to start taking steps to maintain the health of your knees and help your whole body work and feel better. Let's take a look at a few tips to maintain your knee health and share some non-invasive treatments for knee pain. 

Common Causes of Knee Pain

It’s estimated that 25% of adults suffer from frequent knee pain! It’s commonly caused by aging, injury, and repeated stress on the joints. There are a lot of tendons, cartilage and bones in this joint that make it prone to injury and pain as we age. Here are some of the most common issues that cause knee pain:

• Arthritis of the knee: Arthritis occurs when the cartilage covering of the knees wears down over time. This is very common as we age.
• Bursitis of the knee: The knees contain a fluid-holding sac called the bursa; bursitis occurs when these become inflamed. 
• Meniscal tears: The meniscus is thick cartilage in the knee that can become torn from traumatic injury or repeated stress.
• IT band syndrome: The iliotibial band is a long piece of tissue that runs from the hip to the knee, and it can become inflamed after repeated stress, leading to knee pain. It can also cause pain in other areas along the side of the leg from the hip to the bottom of the foot.
• ACL injuries: The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is one of four ligaments that connect your shinbone to your thighbone. A torn ACL is often the result of sideways movement in sports such as basketball, skiing or soccer.
• Bone fractures: This could be from osteoporosis or from overuse causing a painful stress fracture.
• Patellar tendinitis: The patella is another word for the kneecap. Patellar tendinitis occurs when the tendon connecting the knee cap becomes inflamed from overuse. 

Tips on How to Avoid Knee Injuries

Knee injuries can occur at any age, although your knees may be more prone to injury later in life. One of the most important steps you can take to prevent a knee injury is to recover properly from strenuous activities and exercise. Repeated stress on the knees is one of the most common causes of injury, and proper recovery including ice and rest can play an important role in preventing these types of injuries. You'll also want to make sure that you always use proper body mechanics when squatting and lifting heavy objects. 

There isn’t a lot you can do about arthritis of the knee. This is mostly caused by aging and deteriorating cartilage in the knee, resulting in no cushion in the knee as you walk. It’s very painful and there are some chiropractic treatments to help relieve the pain of knee osteoarthritis including our Knee-on-Trac system. 

Related Read: Is Your Knee Pain Caused by Arthritis?

Here are some other helpful tips to reduce or even avoid knee pain:

Maintain a Healthy BMI

Many people don't realize the important role your knees play in your body's function. The knees support all of your body weight and have to withstand a lot of pressure. Being overweight adds stress to the knees, so try to maintain healthy body weight to minimize the expected work of your knees and ligaments. 

Exercise Safely and Regularly

Regular exercise plays an important role in knee health. However, you want to ensure that you don't overextend the knees either. Focus on low impact exercise such as cycling, swimming, the elliptical, or doing yoga. When you subject your body to higher impact workouts such as weight lifting or long-distance running, make sure to recover properly and take an extended break if you start to feel any discomfort. 

Stretch Often

Your knees are the largest joints in your body. Because joint injuries often occur due to stiffness, stretching regularly is an effective way to reduce pain and avoid an injury. Stretching helps to maintain flexibility and increase range of motion. By having a better range of motion, your knees will be more resilient to sudden movement and exercise stress. 

How Can Chiropractors Help with Knee Pain?

Did you know that chiropractors can offer holistic and effective treatments for knee pain? Village Chiropractic will be able to assess your knee pain and possibly determine its cause, helping determine the most practical course of treatment. If you had any images taken of your knee with x-rays or an MRI, that can help the chiropractor see damage that may be inside the knee.

They’ll also do a physical exam to see where in the knee you’re feeling pain and will ask you about activities that cause knee pain.

Chiropractic Treatments for Knee Pain

A skilled chiropractor may be able to help you find relief for your knee pain before you have to turn to surgery, or can help improve your knee’s range of motion after surgery. At Village Chiropractic, we offer effective knee pain treatments for our patients, including cold laser therapy and knee traction.

• Cold laser therapy uses light energy to help reduce joint, muscle, ligament, and tendon pain. When the laser light is applied to the inflamed area, it helps to increase blood flow to promote healing. This treatment can effectively reduce knee pain caused by arthritis, inflammation, tendonitis, bursitis, and sprains.
• Knee traction works to gently stretch the knee to improve range of motion and flexibility. This treatment can help with knee pain caused by stiffness and may be combined with other methods for optimal results. 

Request an Appointment to Help Avoid Knee Pain

Even if you’re not experiencing any terrible knee pain, it’s a good idea to have your spine regularly aligned for good weight distribution and blood flow throughout the body. If you’re feeling knee pain we’d like to help you. 

We utilize the latest treatments in chiropractic care to help give relief for our patients who suffer from all types of discomforts, including knee pain, back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain. We use evidence-based methods to evaluate and treat our patients, helping them move freely again and function at their highest capacity. at our office in The Woodlands.