Lack of
progress and improvement becomes understandable when one considers that typical
evaluation and treatment are directed at the symptoms. But with chronic knee
pain, and many other pain syndromes, actual benefits may be obtained by
addressing underlying biomechanical problems.
Faulty
biomechanics are at the root of many ongoing knee problems. The knee is the
largest and weakest joint in the body. Support for the knee begins in the feet
and works up from there. Many chronic knee conditions continue to be problematic,
especially if a person’s walking pattern is out of alignment. Of course,
various other diseases and orthopedic conditions may cause the same type of
chronic pain. The most likely of these possibilities need to be considered and
ruled out before a diagnosis of biomechanical knee pain is established.
Osteochondritis dissecans, a torn meniscus, and synovial effusion are all
frequently encountered in persons over age 40 with chronic knee pain.
When these
medical entities have been eliminated as possibilities, a biomechanical
causation becomes probable. How does a person develop "faulty
biomechanics"? In fact, most of us have never received effective
instruction on how to use our bodies. We stand and sit in all kinds of unsound
postures, slouching and slumping and generally giving in to every available
force of gravity. We stand with all our body weight on one leg, neck and shoulder
muscles gripped tightly and abdominal muscles sagging and protruding. When we
sit we slump down, stressing the lower back with poorly tolerated mechanical
forces, or sit for hours with legs crossed, stressing the lower back, hips, and
knees.
Over the course
of a lifetime, our bodies have continually tried to adapt to a range of
inefficient and stressful postures and habits. But eventually no more
adaptation is possible. As a result joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons
break down and fail. We experience this failure as pain. And once this type of
pain has started, it is not going to go away unless the underlying causes are
corrected. Specifically, the person's biomechanics need to be restored closer
to normal. Regular Chiropractic care is the only solution that addresses the
root of the problem instead of patching the painful side effects of chronic
pain. Correction of posture takes time and can only be accomplished gradually. The key is to learn what to do, learn how to
do it, and to be working on posture every day. The most important thing is to
begin!
Three basic biomechanical corrections are as follows:
(1)
When standing, be
sure to have your weight over the balls of your feet and to have your weight
evenly distributed on both legs.
(2)
Activate your
deep abdominal muscles by visualizing an "inner lift".
(3)
Have straight
lines of force running down your legs (rather than lines of force crossing at
your knee, creating torsion and tension).
Visualize
"straight energy" flowing from your hip sockets, straight down
through the center of your knees, straight down to your feet, between your
first and second toes. Visualizing and implementing these three biomechanical
corrections on a daily basis represents the first series of steps toward
improving knee mechanics and reducing chronic knee pain. Not sure where to
start?... at Chiropractic USA we work with our patients to create a customized
plan for their specific needs, goals and wellness lifestyle.
Yusuf E, et al: Do knee
abnormalities visualised on MRI explain knee pain in knee osteoarthritis? A
systematic review. Ann Rheum Dis 70(1):60-67, 2011
Suri P, et al: Low back pain and
other musculoskeletal pain comorbidities in individuals with symptomatic
osteoarthritis of the knee: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis
Care Res (Hoboken) 62(12):1715-1723, 2010
Bennell KL, Hinman RS: A review of
the clinical evidence for exercise in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. J Sci
Med Sport 14(1):4-9, 2011
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