When One Knee Hurts...Treat the Other One
Pain can be deceptive. Even though you may experience pain in a certain location, that does not necessarily mean the origin of your pain is that location. Think of sciatica. This is kind of a catch-all term we use to describe nerve pain extending down the leg. But even though you may be experiencing pain down the leg or into the foot, the origin of your pain may very likely be your lower back. If we want the pain in the lower leg or foot to go away in this case, we need to correct the ailments of the lower back.
Another example would be shoulder problems. Often, when people have issues with their rotator cuff, impingement or other shoulder pathology, the pain might actually present a little lower down the arm in an area we refer to as the proximal lateral brachium. We again have to correct the origin of the pain in this case rather that just focusing solely on the spot where the pain presents.
I present to you a case of someone with chronic left knee pain. Upon physical examination the left knee shows no major signs of injury or dysfunction. However, a video gait analysis shows significant misalignment of the RIGHT knee while running. The patient has a history of a previous right knee surgery after which she clearly never regained full function and stability. We spent six weeks to correct the right knee alignment issues and she already has seen a major improvement in her left knee pain.
The picture above, on the right, is how this patient initially presented. Even though her primary complaint was left knee pain, you can see how much her right knee was caving in while running, throwing her entire body alignment off. This then results in increased stress on the left knee to compensate.
The picture on the left shows results after six weeks of treatment and hard work. Here, she has minimal pain or discomfort and shows much better alignment.
Dave Bearss, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., T.P.I., is a physical therapist who specializes in sports medicine and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He sees patients at the Campus Ridge Building, located on the campus of MyMichigan Medical Center Midland. To schedule an appointment, call the office at (989) 837-9100.
