Knee tears can be caused by multiple changes due to degeneration or impact due to its complex structure. The knee consists of ligaments, muscles, bones, cartilage and several different nerves which pass through it to create feeling, movement and sustain pressure through the joint.
The most common knee tears include but are not limited to:
Tear of Posterior Cruciate Ligament
Reasons for diagnosis: (Maffulli et al., 2014)
- Knee region has constant pain and is not improving with a notable weakness in quadricep muscle
- Aggravated by physical activity
- Caused by sliding forward
- Can cause redness and possible swelling in the area
- Affected ADL’s and/or decrease concentration due to pain
Knee Meniscal Tear
Reasons for diagnosis: (Maffulli et al., 2014)
- Knee region has constant pain and is not improving after rotational injury
- Aggravated by physical activity
- Can cause redness and possible swelling in the area with locking and a feeling of giving way
- Affected ADL’s and/or decrease concentration due to pain
Tear of Anterior Cruciate Ligament
Reasons for diagnosis: (Maffulli et al., 2014)
- Knee region has constant pain and is not improving with notable weakness in hamstring muscle
- Aggravated by physical activity
- Caused by sliding backwards
- Can cause redness and possible swelling in the area
- Affected ADL’s and/or decrease concentration due to pain
What Can The Melbourne Chiropractor Offer?
Depending on the severity of the tear our practitioners will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:
- PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality and overall wellbeing in patients in both long- and short-term outcomes. (Maffulli et al., 2019)
- Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores. (Fernandes, Pedrinelli & Hernandez, 2015)
- Spinal adjustments for posture correction and soft tissue therapy to reduce tension and aid with weight bearing
- Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area
