Screwing with your knee problems

Try a chiropractor for your “screwed up” knee — before a little micro-problem becomes a big serious one.

by Dr. Kenneth F. Muhich — 

OK, now that I have your attention, allow me to explain the phrase “screwing with your knee.”

A number of different joints in your body are connected to other joints by muscles, tendons and ligaments for support and movement. These joints have different names, such as facets in the vertebra, bones in your spine, and ball and socket joints found in your hips and shoulders. There are other examples, but we are interested in the knee in particular, which is considered a hinge joint like that found on a door. The difference is that this is a hinge joint with a twist, or rather, a screw. That, ladies and gentlemen, is where the problem lies.

In reality, the knee is a screw joint with a hinge. As the knee bends, the two bones that make up the hinge (the upper large bone of the leg known as the femur and the lower leg bone, the tibia, which goes all the way down to the ankle) unscrew from each other. The lower bone, the tibia, slightly unlocks or unscrews from the upper leg bone, the femur. This allows the lower leg and ankle to move in support of the oncoming weight, and balance as your foot hits the ground.

Injuries to the knee occur in many ways. Acute traumas from sports injuries, automobile accidents, and slips and falls often lead to surgery. The little twists, strains and trips from biking, running, exercise and normal everyday activities (known as microtraumas) are the ones that eventually lead to medical conditions in the form of degeneration (osteoarthritis) and often surgical knee replacement. These microtraumas can be treated successfully by gentle chiropractic adjustments that correct the condition.

No amount of medication or physical therapy will correct this knee misalignment. Chiropractic can and does treat it. Try a chiropractor for your “screwed up” knee — before a little micro-problem becomes a big serious one.

Dr. Kenneth Muhich is a chiropractic physician specializing in the treatment of painful conditions at Stetson Chiropractic Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.  480-948-4955 or www.stetsonchiropractic.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 31, Number 4, August/September 2012.