knee pain

 Nearly a third of Americans over 45 report some episodes of knee pain.  While not all knee pain is serious, some forms of it can lead to increasing pain, joint damage , and even disability if left untreated.

I have had great success treating knee pain with my multimodality treatment methods.  Sometimes a ruptured ligament or tendon may require surgical repair, but in the vast majority of my cases I have healed knee pain without the patient resorting to surgery. 

Although every knee problem can’t be prevented (especially if you’re active), I train my patients in healthful ways of living that can reduce the risk of injury or re-injury.

Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors

A ruptured ligament or torn cartilage can cause knee pain, as well as certain medical conditions, including arthritis, gout, and infection.  But the most common cause of knee pain is myofascial trigger points in the muscles adjoining to the knee. These include the muscles on the front, back, and sides of the knee joint.  The signs and symptoms of knee problems can vary widely because of the knee’s complexity, the number of structures involved, the amount of use it gets over a lifetime, and the range of injuries and diseases that can cause knee pain.  Joints are very complex parts of the body, which allow flexibility, support, and a wide range of motion.

Your knees are hinge joints, which, as the name suggests, work much like the hinge of a door, allowing the joint to move backward and forward.  The knee is the largest, heaviest, and most complex hinge joint in the body.  In addition to bending and straightening, they twist and rotate. This makes them especially vulnerable to damage, which is why they sustain more injuries on average than do other joints.  Ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and bursae (fluid-filled sacs surrounding the knee) are all vulnerable to damage and disease.

Knee injuries are usually caused by a blow to the knee, repeated stress or overuse, or sudden and awkward movements, such as during sports.  Degeneration from aging is also a factor.  But myofascial trigger points resulting from skeletal disproportion, such as leg length inequality, are indeed the common cause of knee, back, and shoulder pain.

Your chances of suffering knee pain are exacerbated by being overweight or obese, or by repetitive activity that can stress the knee by weakening muscles around the joint.   In addition, knee injuries can be caused by a lack of strength and flexibility.

Another major factor that is overlooked by traditional practitioners but that I address is my practice is structural abnormalities, such as having one leg shorter than the other, misaligned knees, and even flat feet.

Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Marcia is an example of my successful treatment of Knee Pain.  A number of years ago she was severely injured in an accident.  As a pedestrian, she was crushed between two vehicles.  The impact was so great she thought she had died.  Her left leg was twisted at a severe angle. 

She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors drilled into her left calf bone and inserted a rod.  Marcia was in traction for three months.  The doctors told her she might lose her left leg; if she kept the leg, it would take a year to walk.  Nevertheless, Marcia was back at work the following July with her leg in a cast brace. 

Still, Marcia was in constant pain.  She suffered from nerve damage in both legs. Her injured leg was now shorter and crooked, and she walked with a cane.  Even narcotic pain relievers offered no help. 

“I tried everything—water exercise which increased my mobility, acupuncture which increased my strength, pain medication which helped me sleep two to three hours a day.  And physical therapy kept me moving.  With no ability for vigorous physical activity, I gained a lot of weight, going from 136 to 240 pounds.  I also had both knees replaced.  By this time I had gone from morphine to a fentanyl patch to control my pain.

“Upon meeting and talking to Dr. Ajrawat at our first consultation, I found him very personable and approachable.  After many years of doctors, disappointments, and pain, this sense of connection and caring was very important to me. 

“His treatments included nerve blocks, trigger point injections, physical rehabilitation, exercises, and Ajrawat Air-Pulse Autonomic Therapy.  I now have days of pain relief and only use pain relievers sporadically.  I can pull weeds from my garden.  I can pray on my knees.  His exercises have strengthened my legs and arms, giving me better balance and stamina.  My weight has dropped to 213.  I have also stopped smoking, a habit that picked up after the fentanyl patch didn’t help relieve my nerve pain.  Dr. Ajrawat has been a miracle in my life.”