Knee Pain: is a common complaint that affects people of all ages but the causes can be uncommon. Most knee pain complaints are a result of a traumatic injury causing a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage. Medical conditions — including arthritis, gout and infections are other causes of knee pain.

Knee Pain

Less often considered and over looked are alignment issues of the knee, foot, pelvis and spine.

Too much sitting, kneeling or other persistent deforming of the knee can leave the bones misaligned. If one’s job requires kneeling – tile-setting or floor work, for instance this can cause tracking alignment issues for the knee.

The knee is a joint between the femur (the long, thick thigh bone) and the tibia (the larger of the pair of bones in the lower leg between the ankle and the knee). When the tibia is not properly aligned with the femur, the joint doesn’t work quite right and pain and limited motion can be the result. When the alignment is altered, the knee ligaments and meniscus are stressed, causing degenerative change – otherwise known as arthritis.

The cause of knee arthritis is the persistent displacement (subluxation) of the tibia and femur. Trauma to the knee is the most common source of knee misalignment, and therefore knee pain. Because orthopedic medicine simply does not recognize the existence of this condition, the typical orthopedic patient will never get his/her knee bones restored to their proper alignment as a part of treatment. Thus, while the patient is told to “take your pills and exercise”, the knee joint is actually being allowed to degenerate. Any misalignment of the two bones will injure the meniscus (a disk of cartilage that serves as a cushion between the ends of bones that meet at a joint) and cruciate ligaments.

If you are having persistent knee pain and are interested in continuing to take medication to cover up the pain. Call my office 401-433-3600.