February 14, 2012
"Doctor, could my knee pain be related to my low back pain?"
 
Time after time we St Peters chiropractors see patients who possess knee pain and have previously gone through knee examination, MRI, x-ray, various therapies, knee strengthening exercises, etc., with no relief. Do you know someone with this history? You?
sciatic nerve distributionWell, Old Mill Chiropractic has seen this type of patient many times. Often the knee pain is "found" while we are doing the examination for the lower back pain the patient came to us for in the first place! But, we know that knee pain is generated from spinal nerve irritation in the lower back that results in knee pain. Yes, it's true. The knee is heavily supplied with nerves emanating from the low back. In fact, some of these spinal nerves make up the nerve you know as the sciatic nerve which actually has divisions and communication pathways at the knee joint. So much happens at the knee!
Now, St Peters knee pain can be debilitating. In one study of nursing personnel, knee pain and back pain much pain and disability. Interestingly, the relationships between the physical, psychosocial, chronicity, care seeking and absenteeism due to complaints of the lower back and knee pain were also studied. Guess what? 51% report lower back pain and 23% knee pain. These subjects also report that their work as highly demanding physically and their general health as moderate or bad. These two perceptions are the strongest risk factors for lower back and knee pain. Knee pain complaints cause significant burden in nursing staff. (1) Our St Peters chiropractic practice is here to help nurses and you when knee pain strikes!
If you suffer from knee pain in St Peters, consult Old Mill Chiropractic for an examination of your spine and possible spinal nerve irritation from the lower back as a cause of your pain. Even if you have arthritis of the knee and tried knee exercises to help, Old Mill Chiropractic can evaluate and create a treatment plan to address the complete problem.