We treat so many people with knee injuries and/or chronic knee pain, and with a very good success rate! I wanted to share the secret to our knee pain relief… We stopped trying to figure out the exact DYSFUNCTION and started restoring healthy FUNCTION of the knee and surrounding joints.
There are endless possible dysfunctions (often controversial and elusive) and only a handful of defined functions of the knee. This has led our team to finding assessments that reveal which functions are not working for the ankle, knee, and hip. After revealing which functions are lacking, we then choose an appropriate treatment plan to restore those much needed healthy movement patterns.
When choosing the appropriate treatment methods, we have to look at the why behind successful treatment methods. For instance, ice vs heat- Ice reduces swelling (pressure restricting the joint)- this tells us that the swelling response is most likely limiting healthy range of motion. We also know that swelling is a defense mechanism usually caused by the body to prevent us from moving the joint; this is a lack of flexibility and secondary to lack of stability. On the other hand, heat is used to increase circulation, which tells us we have something blocking fluid exchange- most of the time we find treating scar tissue and adhesions help this response.
Over the next couple weeks, we will review some of the most common functions we see people lacking and how we restore healthy function.
Stay tuned for a more in-depth discussion about the specific functions of the knee!
