Contributed by Dr. Tara Workman, Chiropractic Physician
Yes, chiropractic adjustments can alleviate your knee, ankle or hip pain. There are several factors that can cause pain to the knees and must be corrected in order to prevent damage to the joint and surrounding tissues.
Chiropractic adjustments help misaligned knee and ankle joints to allow them to track properly as you move throughout the day. I often get asked by patients, “Why do my knees go out of alignment?” There are many different reasons why your knees can misalign. Knee pain is commonly caused by muscle imbalances and structural misalignment around the hip, knee and ankle joints brought on by poor posture, overuse and repetitive stress and physical trauma.
Many researchers believe that the knee is the most complex joint in the human body. It is also the most imperfect joint and easily injured. One of the most common causes of knee injury is extra body weight. The knees provide support to the entire upper body and excessive pressure and strain can cause painful injuries.
While athletes often injure their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the menisci, through twisting, pivoting and cutting motions that stress the knee joints, older people may suffer from knee injuries simply through the degenerative wear and tear of life. A chiropractor can restore alignment to displaced structures in the knee and other linked structures that might also be affected by dysfunction in the knee, such as the ankle, hip or lower back.
Chiropractic treatments are most effective when combined with complementary corrective exercise. Chiropractic adjustments of the hips, spine and patello-femoral joint can help to mobilize the joints back into the proper alignment for your body. This can alleviate joint stress, reduce inflammation and facilitate healing of the joint and surrounding soft tissue. When combined with corrective exercises that complement and reinforce your adjustments, treatment can be very effective.
Chiropractic adjustments, massage and therapeutic exercises are typically used to accomplish this goal of helping the joint function properly by increasing flexibility. When your knees are sore it can help to save your knees from more damage and even surgery when you are adjusted regularly.
Many people mistakenly believe that chiropractors just work on necks and backs. While it’s true that your chiropractic team at Altair Chiropractic is uniquely qualified to treat the spine, any joint in your body can benefit from chiropractic care.
If you’re suffering from pain in your knees, even if you’ve been told by your physician that there’s nothing that can be done for you, you may be able to find relief through chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is safe, natural and perfectly complementary with other forms of medical care. Why suffer with knee pain if you don’t have to? Your chiropractic team at Altair Chiropractic can help you get back on track today.
