Knee Pain
Patellar Tracking Dysfunction
One of the most common causes of unprovoked knee pain is due to a condition known as Patellar Tracking Dysfunction. The patella, also known as the “knee cap”, is guided up and down by your thigh muscles. If there is an imbalance between your inner and outer thigh muscles it will cause your patella to be pulled too far to one side causing it to rub against your femur incorrectly. This wears away the cartilage on the back of the knee cap and leads to a painful condition known as chondromalacia patella. People who suffer from this condition usual explain that standing after being seated for a while is slow and painful. Walking down stairs also tends to aggravate the knee. With this condition, the question is not “do I have a thigh muscle imbalance”; it is “why do I have a thigh muscle imbalance”. The origin of this condition usually exists in a shifted pelvis causing one leg to be longer than the other. To check if you have a misaligned pelvis, simply lie on your back and have a friend check to see if one foot sticks out farther than the other.
Torn Meniscus
In your knee you have two soft rings of cartilage that form a padded cup for your femur to sit on. With high intensity activities that involve knee torsion, these cups are at risk of being torn. The treatment for a torn meniscus involves rest and physiotherapies that promote healing. Surgery should be a last resort if all other treatment modalities fail.
Torn Ligament
The major ligaments in the knee include the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Posterior Cruciate Ligament, Lateral Collateral Ligament, and Medial Collateral Ligament. If you feel that you might have torn a ligament in your knee, have a good physician examine it to identify which ones. Treatment will vary depending on the severity of the tear.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Iliotibial Band Syndrome, or ITB, is a condition in which a long tendon-like band that runs down the outside of your thigh rubs against the bones of your outer knee. The excessive friction causes pain and tenderness. People who suffer from this condition usually get it from performing a repetitive leg motion such as walking, running, or cycling. With this condition, the question is not “do I have a ITB syndrome”; it is “why do I have ITB syndrome”. The origin of this condition usually exists in a shifted pelvis causing one leg to be longer than the other leading to dysfunction knee mechanics. To check if you have a misaligned pelvis, simply lie on your back and have a friend check to see if one foot sticks out farther than the other.
Jumpers Knee
Jumpers Knee, also known as infrapatellar tendonitis, is a painful condition of the tendon that attaches the knee cap to the shin bone. It is usually do to repetitive physical stress that overloads the tendon, causing it to experience a mild sprain. The application of therapy along with activity modification improves healing time significantly.
Osgood Schlatters Disease
In reality, Osgood Schlatters Disease is not a disease at all, it is a painful upper shin condition suffered by physically active adolescent children. It is caused by excessive muscle pulling on the growth plate of the tibia, resulting in a very tender upper shin. The application of therapy along with activity modification improves healing time considerably.
Shin Splints
Shin splints result from excessive strain on your shin bone (the tibia) due to repetitive muscle pull with limited recovery time. Essentially what happens is the muscles that attach to your tibia begin to pull the bone off of itself, leading to a very tender and painful condition. Rest and light stretching has historically been the protocol for this slow healing condition, however, the application of specific physiotherapies has proven to drastically improve healing time.
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