Chiropractic Care For Knee Pain Knocking someone in the knees will cut them down to size in a hurry. Many senior citizens will agree because senior citizens are one of the largest populations that suffer from chronic knee pain. The knee is the largest joint in the human body and it is also quite complex . It is designed to absorb a considerable amount of stress and does its job quite well, however; when pushed over the limit it will break down at the weakest part. Past injuries are common stressors that cause problems but often times small stresses repeated constantly over a lifetime are the culprit. Bend a coat hanger wire long enough and it will break in two. When the knee breaks down muscle imbalances and alignment problems occur which easily cause knee pain. Imagine what would happen if we would move a hinge on your house or car door so it is not properly aligned. The door would be harder to open, would require more energy to open it, and every time it opened the hinge it would creak and moan and wear away. Your knee behaves in the same fashion when imbalances and misalignments are present. One major joint restriction in your leg can increase your energy expenditure for walking by 40%. If you have two major joint restrictions in your leg, the energy expenditure can increase by 300%. The increased difficulty in moving the joint will create muscle imbalances and the wear and tear on the joints from misalignments lays the foundation for osteoarthritis, the leading cause of disability in the elderly. Many Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to find and correct imbalances and alignment problems that can cause chronic knee pain. Often times the patients experience immediate relief. A 49-year-old patient had put up with chronic knee pain since a football injury in high school and was told he just had to live with it. After adjusting his knee the pain and function improved considerably and stabilized much to his surprise.   Problems elsewhere in the body can create stress in the knee causing problems. Abnormal foot function can lead to overpronation that will produce a rotational stress on the knee jointi. The knee joint is not designed to easily absorb rotational stresses and over time causes gradual degenerative changes. Correcting foot problems can relieve stress on the knee and decrease the associated symptoms. A 72 year old patient suffered from chronic knee pain and had significant osteoarthritis in her knees. The knee pain was disabling and kept her from her activities of daily living. Adjusting the knee joint to improve the alignment in the joint would improve her knee pain, but only temporarily. The patient had orthroscopic surgery and Syn-Visc injections with only temporary relief. Upon examining her feet, arch problems were discovered. Chiropractically designed orthotics that slip into her shoe and support her arch were fit for her feet. The knee pain improved and stabilized with the orthotics . This is important as research has now shown that surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee produces no significant improvements in pain and stiffness . So if you suffer from knee pain, check with your Doctor of Chiropractic to see if he can help you.