Knee injuries can happen suddenly, or build up over time. Your osteopath can successfully treat knee pain caused by a variety of factors.
Knee Pain | Osteopath Sutton
Knee pain is very commonly seen in sports people and the elderly. More often than not knee pain is a result of either joint surface wear and tear due to repeated use, age, cartilage or meniscal damage through sporting injuries, muscle strains in the knee, thigh, hamstring, or calf regions, or irritation of the small fat pads called bursa that allow for muscles to glide freely over bone.
Arthritic pains, which gradually develop over years often, give rise to symptoms such as morning stiffness, pain walking and pain bending the knees.
If the knee does not have time to recover between intensive sessions of exercise/sports/competition then it may slowly become inflamed and irritated. If the knee has very sharp pain after a sport training session or game then the possibility of genuine ligament, cartilage or muscle damage becomes greater.
Rapid twisting or changing of directions may place stress these structures and require treatment. Muscle strains often result from overload of the muscles and tendons either from training, running, or competition situations.
These are clear because moving the joint will cause pain in the muscle each time and you will begin to avoid specific movements. Knee pain can also be referred from the lower back through compression of nerves that exit the spine or through the muscles controlling the hip.
Causes and symptoms of knee pain can include:
- sharp pain bending the knee,
- stiffness in the morning lasting up to 60 minutes,
- weakness sensation going up and down the stairs or when walking,
- locking or ‘catching’ of the knee,
- giving way in the knee,
- constant aching within the joint,
- grinding sensation within the knee,
- swelling or redness of the knee itself,
- associated hip or ankle pain.
Treatment and Management: Knee injuries can happen suddenly, or build up over time. Your osteopath can successfully treat knee pain caused by a variety of factors.
The knee is located between the hip and the ankle. These areas can therefore significantly impact the knee and in many cases are the root cause of knee pain.
After examination of the pelvis, hip, and ankle mechanics and movement, it will be evident if their involvement will require treatment.
If these areas require treatment this will be discussed with you.
Specific osteopathic mobilisation techniques and manipulation increase the mobility of the knee joint and improve the range of motion.
Mobilisations also help to pump inflammation out the knee joint and further aid healing. Restoring correct balance to the muscles of the thigh, hamstring and calf regions also help in reducing impact and strain to knee joint.
This can be done through both soft and deep tissue massage techniques.
Exercises to both increase the flexibility of the muscle groups surrounding the knee, and increase the strength may be required to improve knee function.
If the muscles are too tight or too weak then the knee must absorb much greater pressure and so the joint surfaces will become more easily inflamed.
Medical acupuncture and ultrasound therapy can be used by your osteopath to reduce inflammation and improve your rate of healing.