Knee pain may be a short-term, minor issue stemming from mild overexertion or a chronic problem associated with a degenerative condition like arthritis.
Regardless of the cause, recovery from knee pain goes through four distinct phases of care: palliative, restorative, strengthening, and wellness. Our team at Herald Square Chiropractic and Sport recommends familiarizing yourself with this healing timeline for a full recovery. Let’s look at these phases and how each contributes to your recovery.
A priority in just about every condition involving pain is stopping the hurt. In medicine, this is what we refer to as palliative care — steps taken to treat symptoms rather than the underlying illness or injury.
The most common example of palliative care is perhaps the use of over-the-counter pain medications. These take the edge off your knee pain, although they contribute little to correcting the conditions causing the pain.
This is also called pain management. Controlling pain is an important factor in your ability to progress through the other recovery phases.
It’s natural after the start of knee pain to take a break from activities that produce more pain. It’s a normal response to your body’s pain mechanisms, helping to ensure you don’t aggravate injuries.
Your body is already starting to treat your pain from within, so this phase of care aids the process. The RICE protocol — rest, ice, compression, and elevation — is key to restorative self-care.
The third phase begins the process toward function. This is true even when you’re dealing with a degenerative process like osteoarthritis. Physical therapy and strength exercises build muscle tissue that supports the knees, transferring loads away from the bones of the joint. This spreading of the load protects your knee while improving flexibility and function.
Wellness promotes function as you return to form. For example, an athlete may work on the mechanics of their sport, optimizing balance and form to maintain wellness while preventing re-injury.
A runner might change footwear to improve their gait, while a basketball player could add a knee brace for additional support.
Our knee pain specialists are active through all four phases of knee pain recovery. We’re there immediately after the injury to ensure musculoskeletal alignment and balance, which promotes blood flow while relieving nerve compression.
As healing progresses, we can draw on modalities like chiropractic adjustments, medical massage, rehabilitative exercises, and electrical stimulation to assist with each phase of recovery.
Contact Herald Square Chiropractic and Sport at the first sign of problem knee pain. Call or click to make an appointment at our Midtown, New York, office today.
