Kansas City Chiropractor Helps Knee Pain Including Medial Meniscus Injuries

It's spring time again! Time for being outside, mowing the lawn, playing sports, and being more active.
It is also a setup for some serious knee injuries!
In fact last week I just took care of a woman who injured her knee while playing basketball with her family. She pushed herself a little too far, and severely injured her knee to the point where her Doctor suspects a medial meniscus tear. When she walked into the office she was limping and could barely put any pressure on her knee. She had a severe mislignment in her knee, and also had abnormal alignment of her hips, pelvis, ankles, and feet. This patient also had a lot of swelling and tenderness in her knee, especially around the medial meniscus. After one treatment of Chiropractic and Acupuncture, she was able to walk with much less knee pain and was barely limping at all. In fact, she said she could put the normal amount of weight on her knee and her entire foot from heel strike to toe off and was feeling so much better. You can imagine how important it was for her to improve her knee pain, and even more important because she is a massage therapist and has to be on her feet all day long.
Is your knee swollen and hurting? Have you been told you might have a medial meniscus tear, but are not sure? Tired to taking pain pills and anti-inflammatories and want to deal with the cause of the knee pain?
Then Chiropractic Adjustments and Acupuncture may be just what you are looking for.
How can Chiropractic help my knee pain? I thought you just took care of neck pain and back pain?
Actually, many Chiropractors, including myself, learn detailed protocols and adjusting techniques to help with knee problems. The alignment of the hips, pelvis, knees, ankles and feet can all contribute to knee problems and knee pain. If any of these joints are not in proper alignment they will experience an altered amount of pressure on joint spaces including the cartilage. Over time misalignments in the hip, pelvis, knees, ankles, and feet can alter your gait, which is how your body propels itself during walking and running. You can imagine that the longer these joints are out of alignment, the higher chance that you will have discomfort, pain, and eventually arthritis in these areas.
When a patient comes to my office complaining of knee pain, it is critical that I also examine and correct misalignments from the pelvis all the way down to the feet. Commonly with knee problems, I find that the patient has torque in the joint that connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone). This misalignment causes abnormal pressure on the joint space when a patient is walking or running, and can result in knee pain or soft tissue injury (including the medial meniscus). Chiropractic Adjustments reduce the misalignment in the knee and allow for a more normal posture and gait for the patient. This improved alignment also can result in a drastic and immediate reduction in pain as well.
As a Chiropractor, I look for and correct misalignments in all the joints of your body. The reduction of these misalignments result in increased function and decreased pain and swelling.
Ok, so I get that Chiropractors can take the misalignment out of my knee, but how can Acupuncture help?
Acupuncture is a system of balancing the energy in the body that courses through pathways called Acupuncture Meridians. An imbalance of energy occurs many times before patients have symptoms such as knee pain or swelling. In my office, I use the Acugraph to determine where the energy is out of balance in the body. Then I combine the information obtained from the Acugraph scan with Acupuncture points that are classically known to help certain conditions, such as knee pain and swelling. Using this combination allows me to get the highest level of effectiveness possible in each and every treatment.
In my office, I rescan your body with the Acugraph before each Acupuncture treatment. I find that the energy can shift drastically between treatments, and this ensures that I am always giving you the most accurate up-to-date treatment and each and every visit.
What about the muscles that feel tight in my thigh and leg? Do you address this muscle tightness at all?
With most of my knee pain patients, there are several muscles that can be extremely tight, and need extra attention. I always recommend incorporating muscle work and stretching into your treatment plan. Even if I work on your muscles in the office, many times I will recommend stretches and some light self-massage at home to help keep your knee stable in between visits. Chinese cupping is also another method of treatment I use with knee pain. When I use Chinese cupping for knee pain, I cup along the IT Band (on the outside of your thigh), the inside of your thigh just above the knee, and on the muscles in the lower leg if needed. Each patient is different, and their treatment is customized to their particular condition.
How will I know which treatments I need for my knee pain?
Like I said before, each patient is different, and each injury is different. This is why it is important to receive a thorough consultation and examination from a Chiropractor that has lots of experience with knee pain and lower extremity injuries and misalignments. I have worked with a wide variety of athletes including high school track, marathon runners, professional soccer players, and even a Major League Baseball player. I have also worked with patients who are weekend warriors and have injured their knees playing basketball with their family and need to be able to stand for their work.
Regardless of how you injured your knee, it is critical to have it evaluated and treated as quickly as possible. My goals for you always include long term function as well as short term pain control. I think about how you would rather be walking or running on the beach at 70 instead of in a walker or wheelchair. Returning the alignment of your joints to their proper place is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for your long term health and well being.
Ignoring the signals your body is sending you (like knee pain) will just result in a greater potential for long term permanent damage in your joints. Listen to your body and get in action now! Call me to set up your first appointment, and I look forward to being an essential part of your health care team.
Better Health is Only a Phone Call Away!
Dr. Kristine Baker
816-256-3603

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