subject: How Chiropractors Can Help With Knee Injuries [print this page] Common Problems to the Knee
There are three common knee injuries, which occur at different locations of the knee. These include the ACL (cruciate ligament), the meniscus, and the collateral ligament (MCL). The ACL is what stabilizes the knee and keeps the knee in place, when this becomes twisted or injured; the knee is no longer stabilized and can cause extreme pain.
The meniscus is the center of the knee, which is what helps the knee joint carry your weight; this can be injured with the wear and tear that often occurs with age and the first signs of arthritis. The MCL is located inside the knee and stabilizes the knee, normally if the ACL is injured the MCL is also injured.
Traditional Treatment Options
The traditional treatment that most people receive due to knee injuries are pain medications and rest, but often the knee may not heal properly, which leaves it vulnerable to future injuries. Many patients also receive steroid injections to the injured knee, which can help with immediate pain and inflammation, but it does not actually heal the knee. The problem with pain medications is that when the patient cannot feel the pain, they may be injuring the knee further, which of course can lead to permanent problems within the knee itself.
Chiropractic Care of Injured Knees
Many people do not see the knees as a direct connection to the spine, but in fact, misalignments of the spine can in fact affect the knee. If this area of your spine is misaligned, a chiropractic doctor can easily make the necessary adjustments, which alleviates tension in the spine and thus can help the pain and injuries to the knees. When the spine is in proper alignment, it reduces the possibility of knee injuries in the first place.
Chiropractic doctors refer to this as a chain-reaction, in other words, if a portion of your spine is out of alignment, it affects other areas of your body, including making your knees more vulnerable to injuries. Through gentle spinal manipulations, the chiropractor restores the spine to the proper alignment and this affects the other areas of the body including the knees in a positive way.
Finally, chiropractors can help the patient with proper walking so that stress is not added to the knees. For example, when the toes are pointed outward when walking it causes more stress to the knees than when they are pointed straight. Therefore, leaning to walk properly can relieve the pain that is often associated with knee pain or injuries to the knee.
by: Ryan Weisgerber
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