Chiropractic care isn't just for your back and neck pain. Chiropractors are often trained in therapeutic massage for other parts of your body, and chiropractic adjustments can often affect nerves that could cause symptoms in your legs and other regions.
So although chiropractic treatments may not be your first thought when you experience knee pain, you should keep in mind that your chiropractor may be able to help even though the pain isn't located in your spine.
Here are some examples of knee pain issues that chiropractic care could treat.
1. Patellofemoral Syndrome
Patellofemoral syndrome is a condition that causes pain when the patella doesn't stay in its designated track during knee bending. This condition is sometimes called runner's knee but it's not necessarily a sports injury; in fact, anyone can get this syndrome. Some risk factors include being female, having previous injury to the kneecap, being overweight, or having arthritis.
Patellofemoral syndrome doesn't always have a clear cause, but one potential cause is an imbalance or misalignment in your musculoskeletal system. For example, if your leg is rotated slightly out of line, perhaps because some muscles are more developed than others, this could throw the patella off-course.
Since adjusting musculoskeletal imbalances is a mainstay of chiropractic treatment, your chiropractor can help assess and correct any misalignments in your posture that could contribute to the pain.
2. Arthritis
Two major types of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, can both cause pain in knee joints and other joints. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition and rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic auto-immune condition, so treatment may focus on managing and mitigating symptoms.
Although chiropractic care doesn't cure these or other types of arthritis, it can still be a useful way to manage pain. And chiropractic care can also help to mitigate other symptoms of arthritis in addition to managing pain.
For instance, regular chiropractic manipulations can help you maintain and even increase your range of motion, and may even reduce inflammation. One of the great things about chiropractic care is that it's very non-invasive and can be used alongside more conventional treatments.
3. Sports Injuries
You probably aren't surprised to hear that a strain or other sports injury in your knee may benefit from chiropractic care. After all, your chiropractor can provide gentle non-invasive treatments that improve range of motion and decrease inflammation, which could be helpful for a variety of sports injuries.
However, you may be more surprised to hear that chiropractic care may act as a preventative for sports-related knee injuries.
According to one study, chiropractic care may provide a significant improvement by reducing incidence of absenteeism due to non-contact knee injuries. So chiropractic could act as both a treatment and a preventive measure.
4. Sciatica
Although knee pain isn't the most well-known symptom of sciatica, it can be a significant problem. Your chiropractic practitioner may be able to reduce sciatica symptoms such as knee and leg pain.
A spinal adjustment can often be very effective in the case of sciatica, since the problem may be caused by a pinched nerve due to a spinal problem. Sciatica can cause extreme pain, so be sure to schedule an appointment for a professional diagnosis and treatment right away.
As you can see, several types of knee pain fall under the umbrella of the care your chiropractic office can provide. Although some knee problems may on occasion require other treatments such as surgery, chiropractic care may offer a complementary treatment for knee issues even if it's not the main treatment.
For more information on how chiropractic care can help you, contact
Davison Chiropractic
today. We offer chiropractic treatments that range from spinal adjustments to therapeutic massage and more. Get in touch to schedule an appointment to diagnose and treat your knee injury or other condition.