Knee Pain Treatment in Islington
The knee sits between the hip and the ankle and depends on both. That is why treating a painful knee often means looking at hip strength and foot mechanics as much as the joint itself.
Where the pain sits
- Pain around the knee generally
- Pain around or behind the kneecap
- Pain on the outside of the knee
- Pain on the inside of the knee
Location is genuinely informative here, and your practitioner will ask you to point to exactly where it hurts.
The problems we manage
Patellar pain. Pain around the kneecap, typically aggravated by stairs, squatting and prolonged sitting. Usually a loading and control problem rather than structural damage.
Meniscus pain. Involving the cartilage discs that cushion the joint. May follow a twisting injury or develop gradually with age-related change.
Ligament rehabilitation. Including structured programmes following anterior or posterior cruciate ligament injury.
Knee dislocation. Rehabilitation following dislocation, once acute management has been completed.
Iliotibial band pain. Felt on the outside of the knee and often linked to running or cycling volume, as described on our leg and arm pain page.
How We Treat Knee Pain
If you are looking for knee pain treatment, our approach focuses on identifying what is contributing to your symptoms before developing an appropriate treatment plan.
Chiropractic care can be used for musculoskeletal and joint-related knee pain, including knee pain associated with osteoarthritis. Physiotherapy and exercise rehabilitation play an important role in improving strength, movement and the knee’s ability to tolerate everyday activities, exercise and sport.
For many knee problems, rehabilitation includes a progressive strengthening programme targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip muscles. Exercises are adjusted as your strength, movement and tolerance improve.
Knee Pain Assessment
Your knee assessment may include:
- Knee joint range of movement
- Stability and ligament testing
- Muscle strength assessment
- Patellar tracking and movement
- Squatting and step-down assessment
- Walking and, where appropriate, running assessment
- Assessment of the hip and surrounding joints
- Review of factors that may be contributing to knee loading
If the position or function of your foot may be contributing to how your knee is loaded, we can arrange an assessment with our podiatry team where appropriate.
Chiropractic and Physiotherapy for Knee Pain
Treatment is based on the findings of your assessment and may combine chiropractic treatment, physiotherapy, exercise rehabilitation and advice on activity and load management.
The aim is not simply to reduce knee pain, but to address relevant contributing factors and progressively improve your ability to move and function.
Book a knee pain assessment with our chiropractic and physiotherapy team.
Urgent situations
Attend A&E for a knee that is obviously deformed, that you cannot bear weight on following an injury, that locks and will not straighten, or that becomes hot, red and swollen with fever.
Practitioners
Qualifications, registration numbers and clinical interests are set out on each team member’s profile.
Questions
Do I need a scan for a knee injury?
Not in most cases. A thorough clinical examination identifies the majority of knee problems. Where imaging would change management, your practitioner will advise you.
Why does my knee hurt on stairs but not on flat ground?
Stairs load the patellofemoral joint several times more than level walking. Pain that shows up specifically on stairs points towards the kneecap and the way it is being loaded.
Can I run with knee pain?
Sometimes, with adjustments to volume, surface and pace. Your practitioner will give you specific guidance rather than a blanket answer.
How long does ACL rehabilitation take?
It is a long process measured in months and follows defined stages. Your programme will be structured around those stages and around your goals.
