Family Chiropractic

Your Dallas Chiropractor knows from experience that knee problems can be deeply painful and even debilitating. There are a variety of reasons why individuals experience knee pain. And, it’s important to know that anyone, at any age, is at risk. Knee problems can occur due to trauma sustained from a fall, an auto accident, a sports injury, or some other acute, traumatic event. That said, however, the knee problems that most of us experience, in particular as we get older, are considered “non-trauma knee problems.” This is to say, the majority of knee problems don’t occur because of a sudden injury to the knee, but rather because of long-term dysfunction and stress on the knee due to excessive weight, poor gait, and other stresses on the knee joint and surrounding tissue that, over time, have developed into “noticeable” to “extreme” knee pain.

Would it surprise you to know that chiropractors like me, your chiropractor in Dallas, treat almost as many patients with knee pain as we do patients with back problems? It’s true! But, we, chiropractors, would likely have far less patients with knee problems if more people came in sooner for back care. That’s right! Keeping your back in alignment can help prevent knee pain!

How is that possible? The answer is that the musculoskeletal system of the body operates in a compensatory, “chain-reaction” manner. Which is to say that when one area of the musculoskeletal system isn’t functioning correctly, the rest of the system shifts and tilts in order to compensate for the problem.  For instance, pain in the patella (kneecap), also known as Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain) is frequently due to imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that connect to and move the patella. These imbalances often start in the lower back, particularly in the sacroiliac joint. It’s not unlike the old song, “…the knee bones connected to the thigh bone…”. We are one, whole, organic structure from our head to our toes. That is why challenges are never isolated. So, it’s not just your back that’s the culprit! For example, reduced foot mechanics in response to foot pain generally causes painful knee problems as well. In addition, poor knee tracking due to inappropropriate gait patterns, such as pronation (walking like a duck with toes pointed out rather than straight ahead), can cause stress on the knee joints and extreme pain over time. And, finally, excess body weight and, sorry, ladies, but the wearing of high heels on a regular basis more often than not causes knee problems over time.

Happily, chiropractic care can reestablish healthy muscle balance, restore appropriate movement to the patella and other knee joints, and adjust subluxations of the sacroiliac joints or bones of the foot. Knee replacement surgery in an attempt to relieve knee pain should be a last resort!
It it vitally important that you never ignore knee pain, or “play through” knee pain, or continue walking in those lovely Jimmy Choo heels when your knees are aching. Pain is the body’s way of letting you know that there’s a problem that needs correcting. If knee problems are left untreated, knee joint tissue, particularly the cartilage, will continue to erode. If the bones begin to rub on one another, changes such as bone spurs can occur.

As we age, certain musculoskeletal problems tend to increase, such as knee pain and degerative joint disease (osteoarthritis). However, no matter what your age is today, right this minute you are younger than you will ever be again. See your Dallas Chiropractor today…for tomorrow’s sake!

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