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Knee strain - knee sprain - knee instability
Signs or Symptoms
Range from mild discomfort to inability to bend, locking of the knee or unexpected collapse - to severe pain
Description
The knee is a complex structure of ligaments, cartilage, specialized cartilage called meniscus, muscles and four bones (tibia, femur, fibula and patella) that must all work in coordination
Causes
Trauma is an obvious factor as in athletic injuries. Slow overuse and leads to degeneration - arthritis, hardening of the cartilage, degeneration of the cartilage, and consequently inflammation.
Standard Treatment
Physical therapy is aimed at increasing mobility, stretching shortened muscles and strengthening weak muscles. Inflammation reduction is the aim of most medications given. Surgery is done to repair ligaments, clean out pieces of broken cartilage or replacing of eh total knee.
AK Approach
As the knee can be adversely effected by problems in the ankle and foot or the pelvis above it. The examination begins by looking for factors in these areas that would adversely affect knee stability. Locally, the stability of the major ligaments of the knee are then tested for. The muscles that support the knee are evaluated to find the ones that are malfunctioning. These are corrected and then tested for the need of corrective exercises.
The attention is then shifted to the localized structures that are injured and failing to support the knee joint properly. These can include specialized treatments for ligaments, muscles, skin and joints.
Finally, attention is directed to corrective procedures that can help coordinate the muscles to help prevent future injuries. Nutritional therapies aimed at increasing factors that would speed healing and reduce any inflammation are considered.
Other lifestyle modifications are used to prevent or minimize exacerbating the condition. A specific program for your needs is created.