Knee injuries can be internal ligaments and structures.
Most times knee pain is a combination of several muscles, tendons, and ligaments that are damaged from chronic repetitive stress. Poor muscle strength, endurance, and stability lead to multiple sites of tissue damage. Knee joint pain can be treated by several conservative methods that don’t require surgery in order to retrain and stabilize the knee: chiropractic, Graston Technique, ART, physical therapy, and functional movement exercises.
The knee plays a critical role in joining the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia).
There are other smaller bones that run along the tibia (fibula) and the kneecap (patella) together making up the knee joint. The tendons are responsible for connecting the knee bone to the leg muscles that are functional in moving the knee joint.
Conservative Treatments
Therapeutic treatments for addressing soft tissue injuries involve Chiropractic, Graston Technique, or Active Release Technique. These treatments increase blood flow, decrease muscle spasms, enhance flexibility, speed healing, and promote proper tissue repair.
1) Graston Technique
The Graston Technique is a very effective and popular treatment for muscle, tendon, ligament, and soft tissue injuries. This treatment uses specifically designed stainless steel instruments and therapeutic exercises to detect and treat areas of swelling and inflammation. The instruments are also designed to find and treat the cause of the symptom, as well as the area of the internal knee pain. Adding the Graston Technique to any treatment plan decreases recovery time and reduces the need for anti-inflammatory medication.
2) Active Release Technique
Active Release Technique (ART) is a movement-based massage technique. It is used in the treatment of muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. The technique is a hands-on manual therapy approach to lengthen muscles and release adhesions to tissues and nerves. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the tightness and movement of the injured area. Injury of knee tissue or knee cartilage is treated by precisely directed tension and specific patient movements to shorten and lengthen the muscles surrounding the knee.
When these treatments are incorporated into a treatment plan, patients heal faster and are less likely to have long-term pain, soft tissue fibrosis, or scar tissue in the injured muscle.
