How Acupuncture Can Help Knee Pain

Acupuncture for knee pain scaled

Knee pain is prevalent among athletes such as runners, skiers, basketball players, joggers, and football players. However, there exist several other reasons why a person can suffer a knee injury.

For instance, muscle tightness, joint deterioration, and chronic pain due to arthritis can also be responsible. If you experience knee pain, life can feel very frustrating. For example, walking up or down the stairs can be challenging. You may be forced to stay awake throughout the night, and getting to the office or out of the house at all can seem practically impossible.

In fact, what would have been a simple, easy walk may no longer be simple or easy. The good news is, you don’t have to go through all that pain. Even if you have an injury, your body doesn’t need to suffer or stay in pain.

Acupuncture is a natural way to treat pain that is extremely effective. It has been shown to be an efficient way to naturally loosen tight muscles, release pain-relieving endorphins, reduce inflammation, and foster good blood circulation. You can locate a knee pain acupuncture FL to begin a session and one of the first in the area was Dr. Barry Greenberg, who still has a thriving practice, due to his expertise and success..

About The Knee

The knee is one of the body’s most extensive and most complicated joints. It joins the shin bone (tibia) to the lower end of the thigh bone (femur). Other bones that make up the knee joint are the smaller bone that functions together with the kneecap (patella) and the tibia (fibula).

Tendons attach the knee bones to the leg muscle responsible for moving the knee joint, while ligaments promote knee stability.

The anterior cruciate ligament supports the femur to stay functional on the tibia, so it doesn’t slide backward on the tibia or so that the tibia doesn’t slide forward on the femur.

The posterior cruciate ligament also retains the femur on the tibia from sliding forward or the tibia from sliding backward on the femur. The medial and lateral collateral ligaments help to prevent the femur from sliding in either direction. Two C-shaped cartilage pieces known as the medial and lateral meniscal helps to lessen or mitigate any unwanted effect or unpleasant situation that could arise between the femur and tibia.

For smooth movement of the knee, the fluid-filled sacs known as the numerous bursae are responsible. In addition, the adductor, quadriceps, sartorius, and hamstring muscle groups assemble in the knee area from above, while the popliteus, calf (soleus & gastrocnemius), personal muscles, and plantar connect from the knee area.

When there is tightness in any part of these muscles, it can result in knee pain since tight muscles pull on the joints they connect to and modify their configuration. So when this is occurring, it’s not uncommon to develop knee pain.

A famous instance of this is a tight quadriceps muscle causing runner’s knee which also may cause a likely effect on the outer knee or patella. As a result, the runner’s knee is a condition of dull pain experienced around the patella – the frontal part of the knee. This area is the connector between the knee and the femur.

A situation like this occurs when the quadriceps muscles shorten or tighten, they draw both the hip and knee nearer, which heaves on the knee and causes pain.

The Knee Joint Structure

The knee has several ligaments that can wear out or get hurt over some time. This can result from excessive strain or ACL tear, which can be due to muscle imbalance, overwork, or too much straining. Meniscus tear is one common overuse injury in the knee —  which can heal without surgery.

Common Types of Knee Pain

Here are the most popular types of knee pain, which can be treated by administering knee pain acupuncture FL.

1. Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is primarily connected to age. As a user grows older, he may become prone to osteoarthritis. However, overusing it can also be the cause.

2. Water on the Knee: Water on the knee is otherwise known as knee effusion which can either be caused by arthritis or an injury to the knee. Tumors, gout, or cysts developing can be responsible too.

3. Rheumatoid Arthritis: This condition is an autoimmune disease. That means that the immune system starts to attack its own tissues, including the joints. This situation can affect the fingers, wrists, toes, and knees and cause inflammation, stiffness, and pain.

4. Runner’s knee: People with weak or inflexible leg muscles may often experience a runner’s knee. This condition is usually caused by irritating the joint through cycling, walking, running, or other repetitive motion.

How Acupuncture Can Help You Relieve Knee Pain

Acupuncture can foster quick relief from knee pain and enhance performance in osteoarthritis patients, and here’s how.

When acupuncture is administered to the affected knee part, it propels increased blood flow, promoting healing properties such as red blood cells and platelets, facilitating quick recovery.

As this increases, fluid buildup and toxins are pulled out, which in turn lowers the possibility of inflammation. With reduced swelling and inflammation, pressure, and pain will also decrease. Acupuncture also discharges serotonin and endorphins, which work as natural pain medication to the body without side effects.

People with challenging knee pain issues that appear unresponsive to other forms of treatments or people considering treatments without medications should opt for acupuncture. You can also consider it if you need a natural pain reliever preceding surgery.

In fact, some patients receive acupuncture administration to evade surgery completely. Acupuncture eases trigger points in the muscles around the knee. Tight muscles will become sore and achy and result in stiffened movement in the affected part. Acupuncture releases these trigger points without having to inject unnatural substances into the body.

Acupuncture’s Proven Benefits

A study of about 18,000 participants reveals the benefit of acupuncture in various pain situations, including knee osteoarthritis. Aside from fostering an anti-inflammatory effect, acupuncture also releases endogenous opioid endorphins as natural painkillers to the body.

There are different ways you can find an acupuncturist. You can either ask for a referral, go online, or ask at your local hospital. In addition, you can also discover Knee Pain Acupuncture FL for the best assessment and acupuncture options specific to you. However, be aware that your initial appointment will typically be the longest. This session will often include a detailed body assessment to curate information on the perfect treatment plan for you. 

Dr. Barry Greenberg, Director of the Acupuncture Center of Bradenton, is committed to the highest quality patient care and complete success in relieving pain for his patients. Therefore he spends a full hour with each patient at both the first visit and any subsequent acupuncture session.