A Fresh Take on Chronic Knee Pain
Eliminate persistent knee pain without resorting to medication or surgery: Find effective, non-invasive methods.
Chronic knee discomfort has seen a notable surge since mid-20th century, affecting up to 25% of American adults. Despite the influx of recent research dissecting the cause, conventional medical practitioners persist in managing symptoms rather than tackling the root cause. The ensuing classification of the issue as degenerative essentially entails its worsening over time. However, revolutionary orthobiologic and regenerative therapies are shaking things up!
What's Really Behind Chronic Knee Pain?
Excluding acute injuries, knee pain typically develops gradually and intensifies over time. Its slow onset can make people dismiss it as an inevitable consequence of aging. For decades, medical practitioners have been treating patients with painkillers and inflammation-controlling injections, while their knees continue to deteriorate, oftentimes leading to surgery as the final option. But knee pain is merely a symptom, not a condition in itself.
Integrative health practitioners are transforming the landscape of chronic knee pain treatment by focusing beyond the symptoms to identify the underlying factors responsible for the pain. By adopting a comprehensive, holistic approach that considers the entire kinetic chain and how dysfunction in one area can lead to pain and dysfunction in another, they are redefining the approach to chronic knee pain treatment.
The Primary Factors Contributing to Chronic Knee Pain Include:
- Unattended Old Injuries: This encompasses not only knee injuries like meniscus tears and ligament ruptures, but also neglected injuries to the feet and ankles that impact the alignment and loading of the knees. These injuries can be rehabilitated using regenerative therapies and specialized physical therapy.
- Obesity and Sedentary Lifestyle: The structures supporting your knees become more robust with regular exercise, lowering the risk of knee pain. However, modern lifestyles often involve prolonged periods of sitting with minimal physical activity. Adding excess body weight to weakened knees amplifies the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a major contributor to knee pain.
- Metabolic Diseases: A sedentary lifestyle and high-carb diets engender a host of metabolic issues, including systemic inflammation, hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes, and more. Numerous studies have highlighted a strong connection between metabolic syndrome and the progression of KOA[2]. Regular exercise and adopting a natural, low-carb, whole foods diet can go a long way toward reversing metabolic disease and promoting overall health.
Alternative Methods to Chronic Knee Pain Treatment
The integrative approach is reshaping the horizon for knee pain sufferers by halting and even reversing knee degeneration. By taking a broad perspective encompassing the myriad factors contributing to chronic knee pain, holistic practitioners are devising personalized treatment plans tailored to each patient.
Pioneering Technologies and Therapies Making Waves in Knee Pain Treatment:
- Advanced High-Resolution Ultrasound: Utilizing high-definition ultrasound as a diagnostic tool provides us with intricate, real-time images of the body in motion, enabling clinicians to observe the body's tissues and structures interacting. Additionally, it assists in guiding orthobiologic procedures to ensure precise targeting of specific tissues[4].
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT): Shockwave technology generates high-frequency soundwaves that stimulate the body's regenerative processes by attracting growth factors and stem cells to the treatment site. Shockwaves also help reduce pain and inflammation[4].
- Myofascial Release Therapy: Fascia is a unique type of connective tissue that works alongside muscles to provide tension during physical activity. In a healthy system, fascia is elastic and slippery, enabling nerves and blood vessels to move freely among other structures and maintaining organ positioning. Dysfunctional fascia can become dense and adhesive, trapping nerves and blood vessels and inhibiting mobility. Myofascial release works to restore fascia's elastic and slippery properties.
- Orthobiologic Injection Therapies: Orthobiologics, natural substances known to stimulate cell regeneration, can be injected into damaged tissues to initiate the immune system's response, supplying growth factors and stem cells at the injection site, thus accelerating tissue healing[4]. Techniques like prolotherapy and PRP have been demonstrated to rebuild eroded cartilage and repair collagen fibers in osteoarthritic knees.
- Personalized Physical Therapy: Physical therapy for knee pain is aimed at strengthening the structures that support and stabilize the knees, enhancing functional mobility, improving joint alignment, and correcting mechanical gait deficiencies.
Integrative treatment solutions are halting knee joint degeneration and saving thousands of knee pain patients from knee surgery. When coupled with customized physical therapy and positive lifestyle changes, alternative therapies can help restore pain-free mobility, devoid of drugs or surgery.
Discovering an Integrative Knee Pain Specialist in NYC
While cutting-edge technologies and therapies are emerging quickly, many medical practitioners are reluctant to adapt. Shifting away from pain management and towards knee rehabilitation requires a significant paradigm shift that contradicts conventional medical protocols. Many patients are seeking alternative solutions outside of pain management with the hope of eradicating knee pain permanently.
To effectively treat chronic knee pain, look for an integrative practitioner offering regenerative and orthobiologic therapies alongside personalized one-on-one physical therapy. Wellness Center NYC is one such place that embodies a full-body, integrative approach to physical therapy and rehabilitation, focusing on long-term healing and performance[6]. Their proficient team merges manual therapy, movement analysis, and individualized rehab programs to address the root causes of knee pain and promote healthy mobility.
*Dr Lev Kalika is a globally recognized expert in musculoskeletal ultrasonography, boasting over 20 years of clinical experience in advanced rehabilitative medicine[6]. Besides managing his clinical practice in Manhattan, he consistently contributes peer-reviewed research on ultrasound-guided therapies and procedures.[6]
[1] Xue Y, Cha S, Soczynska J, Bernardy K, Friedman BW, Bierma-Zeinstra SMA, Verstappen SA & Ceko E (2020). Joint Laxity and Knee Pain in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Results from the Maastricht Study. Journal of Orthopedic Science. 25(8): 1203-1210.
[2] Felson DT, Zhang Y, Joseph LX. (2008). Metabolic Syndrome and Incident Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 59(6): 716-727.
[3] Bierma-Zeinstra SMA, Vonk Noordegraaf A, van Schoor NM, Verstappen SA, Zijlstra A & Prevoo K, et al. (2005). [Isolated Sensitivity of the Meniscus for Knee Pain: A Morphometric Study of the Knee Joint] [In Dutch]. Rheumatology. 44(11): 1213-1217.
[4] Knezevic T, Diehl A-K, Rickenbacher C, Parpatz E, Gille A, Krause S, et al. (2019). [Efficacy and Safety of Orthobiologic Injections in Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review]. Arthritis Care Res. 71(1): 9-6.
[5] MacGregor AJ, Irwig L, Vistisen BJ, Signori A, Collins R. (2019). [Unhealthy diets: aging bodies and global threats]. The Lancet. 393(10167): 51-61.
[6] Wellness Center NYC. [About Us]. Available at: https://wellnesscenternyc.com/about-us
[7] Dr Lev Kalika. [Biography]. Available at: https://wellnesscenternyc.com/about-us/doctors/lev-kalika/
- Science shows that chronic knee pain is often linked to metabolic diseases, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and unattended old injuries, not just aging or degenerative conditions.
- Integrative health practitioners are using therapies like Myofascial Release Therapy, Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT), and Orthobiologic Injection Therapies to address the root causes of chronic knee pain.
- Chronic-kidney-disease patients can take inspiration from revolutionary orthobiologic and regenerative therapies for knee pain, which are tackling the problem at its root rather than just managing symptoms.
- As aging is not necessarily a cause of chronic knee pain, seniors should consider fitness-and-exercise routines and health-and-wellness practices to maintain strong knee structures and prevent the development of chronic knee conditions.
