Your Knee Pain Probably Didn’t Start in Your Knee / Lawrence, Kansas Chiropractor

If you are looking for effective pain relief, contact us at (785) 842-7325 or schedule online at https://peakperformancehealthcenter.j... Dr.Amanda & Jeric Toney Physician with Peak Performance Health Center in Lawrence, Kansas. We believe that everyone should have a pain-free, active lifestyle. Peak Performance Health Center is located in Lawrence, Kansas. We specialize in evidence-based, conservative care for weekend warriors, dedicated athletes, and desk workers. Our website: https://www.peakperformancehealthcent... Facebook :  / peakperformancehealthcenter   Instagram:   / peakperformancelawrence   YouTube:    / @peakperformancelawrence   If you’ve been dealing with knee pain for months and nothing seems to provide lasting relief, the problem may not be your knee at all. It’s common to focus treatment directly on the area that hurts. When your knee is sore, you might try icing it, stretching the surrounding muscles, massaging it, or simply resting. While those approaches may temporarily reduce discomfort, they may not address what’s actually placing extra stress on the knee. Think of your lower body as a connected chain. Your knee sits between two major joints: your hip and your ankle. When either of those areas isn’t moving or stabilizing effectively, your knee may be forced to compensate. The knee is primarily designed to bend and straighten. It isn’t meant to handle excessive twisting or side-to-side stress. If your hip lacks adequate strength or control, the position of your thigh and knee can change during everyday activities like walking, running, climbing stairs, squatting, or playing sports. Your glute muscles play an especially important role in controlling your leg. When that control is lacking, the knee may move inward more than it should. Over time, this can contribute to increased stress around the kneecap, tendons, IT band, and other structures surrounding the knee. Your ankles matter, too. When an ankle is stiff or lacks adequate mobility, your body still needs to find a way to complete the movement you’re asking it to perform. That compensation may occur at the knee. Limited ankle movement can affect how your entire leg functions during activities like running, going downstairs, or exercising. This is why a thorough evaluation of persistent knee pain should involve more than simply examining where it hurts. Looking at balance, stability, mobility, strength, and movement throughout the entire lower body can provide valuable clues about why the knee is becoming irritated. Pain tells you where your body is asking for help, but it doesn’t always tell you where the problem began. If your knee pain keeps returning despite your best efforts, watch the attached video to learn how the hips, knees, and ankles work together—and why identifying the underlying cause can be an important part of finding longer-lasting relief.