What Could Be Causing Your Knee Pain?

Are you dealing with constant knee pain that makes it hard to walk or climb stairs? There are a lot of causes including an old injury, overuse, and simply getting older and developing arthritis in the knee. There are a lot of things you can do to help relieve knee pain before surgery is ever a consideration. Let’s look at the most common causes of knee pain and what you can do about them. 

• Deterioration of the knee joint because of osteoarthritis
• Meniscal tears causing pain in the back of the knee
• Overused tendons causing pain
• Swollen bursae that don't cushion your knee joint 

Knee Pain Caused by Arthritis

Developing osteoarthritis in well-used joints like the knees and hips as you get older is pretty common. It’s caused by a wearing down of the cushioning cartilage in the joint.  The pain typically gets worse over time, and you might even stop exercising because of it. 

Common treatments are pain relievers, knee injections and eventually surgery. When you work with a chiropractor to relieve knee pain, however, many patients find they can reduce or stop using medications and often avoid surgery. The chiropractor should always do an assessment to be sure it’s actually arthritis causing your knee pain and then create a treatment plan that might include:

• Cold laser therapy - a low-intensity laser that is pointed over the affected area for 10-20 minutes at a time. The laser light is absorbed by the tissue, causing blood to rush to the area which promotes healing of the damaged cells and ultimately pain relief. 
• Knee traction - the Knee on Trac technology isolates the knee and gently stretches the joint to relieve pain.

Either, or both, of these treatments need to be administered by a chiropractor multiple times over the course of several weeks to get the best results. 

Related blog: Is Your Knee Pain Caused by Arthritis?

Knee Pain that Requires Rest, Ice and Stretching

Some knee pain simply needs rest and stretching while your body repairs itself. Some of these include:

Pain in the Back of the Knee

Each of your knees has two pieces of cartilage called meniscus, that form a cushion between the shinbone and the thigh bone. If you feel a pop in the back of your knee followed by pain, or you had an injury to the back of the knee, your meniscus may be stretched or torn. 

In some cases you simply need rest and time to heal. If you’re having meniscus pain, schedule an appointment to have images taken before waiting too long. After looking at the images a chiropractor can give you their best recommendations for care. If the tear is significant we may suggest you schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who can evaluate your knee for repair with minimally invasive surgery.

Knee Pain From Tendinitis or Bursitis

The tendons around your knee can become inflamed, usually from overuse, causing pain. Bursae, the small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the knee can also become inflamed. This condition, called bursitis, is also commonly caused by overuse. 

For both of these you can use ice and rest for several days to see if the pain starts to go away. If this doesn't work, schedule an appointment with the chiropractor for an evaluation and other treatment options that can help.

Self-Care and Chiropractic Care For Knee Pain

Things you can do at home to reduce knee pain

There are things you can do at home to help your knee feel better including:

• While at home be sure you rest your knee if it’s pain. Extensive use usually only aggravates the knee and makes the pain worse.
• Use ice to reduce inflammation, especially if you have a recent injury, tendonitis or bursitis.
• Use heat to relieve pain in the knee joint if you have arthritis.
• If you’re overweight, follow a careful diet (especially if you can’t exercise a lot right now) to help you lose weight. Less weight on your joints will reduce pain all by itself.

Chiropractic Care for Knee Pain

It’s important that you don’t wait too long to get treatment for knee pain. If you’re having intense pain that keeps you up at night or shooting pains, be sure to schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider. When you see a chiropractor for knee pain we will first assess your condition and then recommend a series of treatments. They don’t all include the same set of treatments. Some of the chiropractic knee pain treatments include:

• Stretches and simple exercises for the muscles around your knee. Strengthening your knee muscles and keeping your joints moving is important to keep more pain from developing. A chiropractor can help you define what would be best for you.
• Cold-laser therapy for reducing inflammation. Check out our blog on how cold laser therapy can help relieve knee pain. 
• Knee traction to reduce the pressure in the joint for 15-20 minutes at a time so that the joint can heal better. Check out our blog on the benefits of knee traction. 
• Adjustments can be useful if there you have misalignments in your body that make knee pain worse. 

Related blog: What Can a Chiropractor Do About My Nagging Knee Pain

If you’ve been dealing with knee pain and the self-care options aren’t working, or you’re tired of taking pain medications, request an appointment with our team located in The Woodlands for an assessment and knee pain treatment plan. Take care of yourself and be kind to your knees!