Overview of the Knee

                The knee is a fairly simple joint but one that takes a lot of stress throughout our daily lives whether it be from exercise and running or just being overweight. It is also a joint that you may see a lot on ESPN about athletes constantly hurting their knee, sprains/strains or even tearing an ACL.  You may be sitting there thinking, “well I am not a professional athlete, but I am still having pain in my knee when I try and workout.” If that sounds like you then you are in the right place, today we will be talking briefly about some conditions that may be occurring in the knee, some things you can do to help your own knee, and some common myths about certain knee pain.

                First off, lets talk a little bit about the anatomy of the knee. The knee consists of three main bones: the femur (your thigh bone), the tibia (your shin bone), and your patella (the kneecap). Each end of these bones is covered in cartilage to absorb shock and protected through strong tissues called tendons and ligaments. Tendons connect muscle to bone, like your patellar tendon, which are connected to muscles where in the knee you have the large quadriceps and hamstring muscles which help straighten and bend the leg. Ligaments attach bone to bone and help stabilize the joint and in the case of the knee, help prevent too much movement forward or backward of the femur on the tibia.

Conditions Affecting the Knee

                Now to the fun part, let’s talk about why your knee may be hurting and two of the most common no-surgical issues affecting your everyday average person and issues affecting your average athlete. But first a quick disclaimer: none of what we talk about today is taking place of talking with your licensed healthcare provider. It is always better to talk with your provider first before making any decisions on your health and the Doctors at inTune Chiropractic Clinic would love to sit down and figure out what may be going on. Disclaimer number 2: stop consulting your Facebook and TikTok “doctors,” they truly do not have your best interests in mind.

                Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, it is time to talk about the dreaded “A-Word.” Arthritis…but more specifically osteoarthritis of the knee. When people hear they have osteoarthritis they view it as a death sentence, but you need to remember that it is just degeneration. Everyone will have degeneration, it is like gray hairs on the skeleton, you cannot avoid it, but you can also stay healthy and avoid how quickly degeneration takes place and decrease any pain that you may be experiencing from it. So, let’s look at a few things that we can do to help your pain and take back control of your life if you have some osteoarthritis in the knee.

                 A 2018 study performed by Meisser et.al., states that clinical relevance for a decrease in in weight can have on pain and disability for those that are suffering from knee osteoarthritis. Their study found that by reducing your overall weight by just 5% can reduce pain and increase mobility in those suffering from knee pain and by reducing overall weight by 10% can slow progression of arthritic conditions.¹ This is great news! This means that by having a healthy diet and exercising regularly you can slow down arthritis in its tracks and even reduce pain and disability.

                This brings me to my next point that exercise is one of the best interventions to helping with osteoarthritis of the knee. Studies have shown that proper weight/strength training helps protect the joint and take pressure off the knee. It is not about “wear and tear” of the cartilage but about strong surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Starting with a short window of therapeutic exercises (usually about 6 weeks) which can be done with a Doctor of Physical Therapy or some exercises at home you can put yourself in a perfect position to start “hitting the gym” pain-free if that has been a barrier preventing you from beginning an exercise program. Up next, I can provide some examples of exercises you can start to help get you out of pain, but first I want to let you know what the Doctors at inTune Chiropractic can do to help.

• Adjustments: If there is an issue with scar tissue or decreased mobility, by applying a quick, specific, adjustment to certain joints of the knee, hips, or ankles you can gain that mobility which can help aid in the exercises by quickly increasing mobility.
• Rehab Exercises: The Doctors at inTune Chiropractic are trained in functional rehabilitation, especially in athletes, and can help with 1-on-1 rehab of the knee and surrounding tissues to get you on track to starting your fitness journey.
• Piezowave2 Acoustic Compression Therapy: inTune Chiropractic Clinic is the only Chiropractic and Rehab office in Nashville with this therapy which can directly aid the body to naturally heal damaged tissue in the body.

Piezowave 2 Therapy uses sound waves stimulates pain relief, improves circulation, and jump starts the body's natural healing process. 

Some Knee Rehab Exercises

                A few quick and easy exercises that you can perform right away to help you rid yourself of pain in the knee brought to you by the Cleveland Clinic².

• Bodyweight Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your feet turned out slightly. Keeping your heels on the ground, bend your knees while dropping your butt and lowering your body. (Make sure to keep your weight on your heels instead of your toes.) Pause before returning to standing. Repeat.

• Walking Stairs: A great way to get those quads and hamstrings working is by walking or lightly jogging up and walking and controlled jogging down some stairs. If you have no stairs at home, try walking to your local mall or park and find some steps that you can utilize free-of-charge!
• Leg Extensions: Sit at the edge of your bed and one leg at a time kick straight out and hold, while squeezing the thigh. 10-20 reps each leg, 3 sets and you’re on your way to being in the next physique bodybuilding competition in your city. Try using some ankle weights for some more resistance, or maybe using that TheraBand that you got for free from some young Chiropractor or Physical Therapist at that random stall at the farmer’s market 4 years ago if you’re ready to step-up your game.

Conclusion

                In conclusion, now that you know a little bit more about what you can do to take charge of your own health, it is time to get up and stop using the excuse that your knee hurts. If you need more help or maybe you think your problem may be something different come in and see the Doctors at inTune Chiropractic Clinic, Inc. in Mount Juliet, TN today!

Works Cited:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29911741/
• https://health.clevelandclinic.org/osteoarthritis-knee-exercises-stretches/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8170371/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6773287/