Look Above and Below With Knee Pain

When dealing with any type of knee problem we need to understand the relationship that the knee has with the other joints in the body, particularly the hip and the foot.  It can be said that the knee is caught between the foot and the hip, and as such the foot, knee, and hip make up what is known as a kinetic chain.  In fact, many of the muscles that act at the knee also cross either the hip or ankle joint. As a result of this relationship, with any knee problem both the foot and hip must always be closely examined as an abnormality in either area will greatly influence problems at the knee.

A common example of how the knee is influenced by the kinetic chain occurs in someone whose foot excessively pronates.  Hyper-pronation of the foot occurs when the foot excessively rolls inward, causing the foot to flatten out when walking and running. This will also cause the lower leg to rotate inwards, which in turn will result in a twisting stress at the knee.  Not only will this result in injury to the knee joint itself, but it will also strain the muscles of the knee, hip, and foot as they have to work even harder in an attempt to control the excessive strain and combat the effects of the hyper-pronation. This will greatly magnify the effects of the repetitive strain cycle, further leading to knee dysfunction and injury.  As you can see, even though pain may be at the knee the entire kinetic chain must be evaluated and treated to fully resolve the condition.

Shaw Chiropractic & Sports Injury Center serves Des Moines, Clive, Waukee, and surrounding communities.  For more information call (515) 987-6332 or visit shawchiroandsport.com