knee pain des moines clive

As chiropractors we often see patients with neck and back pain, but knee complaints are another common thing we see in the office. Although the majority of knee complaints are mechanical in nature, it’s important that we test the integrity of the knee to make sure it hasn’t been compromised.

Ruling out any ligamentous or cartilaginous damage helps assure the patient they are in the right place for care and allows us to continue our evaluation to figure out what’s causing the knee pain. Here are the 3 most common causes of knee pain that we see in our office:

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a condition we see the most often in relation to knee pain. This is most commonly due to exaggerated internal rotation and shifting of the lower outside part of the femur into the patella causing pain around the knee. 

The pain can be exacerbated by activities such as prolonged walking, running, squatting, and stair climbing – especially going downstairs or downhill. There are a couple reasons for the internal rotation and shifting of the femur: hip weakness and hyperpronation of the feet.

However, studies have shown this is not the case and more recent research provides a couple of explanations for the cause of the pain and irritation. At the upper part of the band there may be excessive pulling and tensile strain on the femur where the TFL and glute muscles meet the more tendinous portion of the band. At the lower part of the band, repetitive compression of highly sensitive fatty tissue underneath it may be the cause of pain.

Ryan Donahue

Ryan Donahue

Chiropractor

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