Healthy News October 2024 Chiropractic Care Options for Knee Pain

Knee pain is all too common. While New Roads knee replacement surgery can offer relief, it is not risk-free. According to a study by Iordache et al., factors that predict the likelihood of replacement such as severe pain and limited mobility must be weighed against potential complications like infection, device failure, and the necessity of revision surgery. More specifically, the characteristics of a patient who will likely need a total knee arthroplasty due to knee osteoarthritis include being female over 65 years of age who has high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), hypertension, and fibrinogen value (a blood-clotting protein produced in the liver in response to injury, infection, and inflammation) associated with low overall KSS (knee society score) and specific KSS function values averaging 56.70. (1). Good to know! For those looking for non-surgical options, innovative treatments like those based on the Cox® Flexion Distraction Decompression technique show promise. A retrospective case series by Albano (2) highlights its potential in easing knee discomfort by gently decompressing the knee joint, presenting a less invasive option for those aiming to boost joint function and decrease pain. Albano treated 25 patients with knee pain. Their mean VAS (visual analog score) numbers which reflect how they see their pain dropped from 7.7 to 1.8. The mean number of treatments was 5.3 over an average of 3 weeks. Acute pain patient scores went down from 8.1 to 1.1 in 4.8 treatments in 2.4 weeks while chronic knee pain patient scores lowered from 7.5 to 2.2 in 5.4 treatments in 3.3 weeks. And the best part: no unpleasant reactions! (2) Distraction of the knee follows the same principles of Cox® Technic spinal manipulation. In simplistic terms, open the joints by stretching to reduce pain! Let’s talk about any knee pain you may be experiencing at your next New Roads chiropractic appointment at New Roads Chiropractic Center!

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Luigi Albano on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson  about the utilization of distraction principles based on The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management to reduce knee pain.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Supplement with Chondroitin Sulfate and Curcumin

You can see in the paragraph above on New Roads knee pain that an elevated ESR (sed rate) – a marker of inflammation - is a risk factor for knee replacement. Chondroitin sulfate and curcumin are two powerful partners in the battle against inflammation, especially for those suffering from conditions like knee osteoarthritis. Chondroitin sulfate has been shown to deactivate the NLRP3 inflammasome, which has a crucial role in the inflammatory process, thereby potentially alleviating joint pain and stiffness as evidenced by the study done by Chang and colleagues. (3) Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, is another potent anti-inflammatory agent that helps alleviate osteoarthritis symptoms by modulating the p38MAPK pathway, according to research by Wang et al. (4) These two have hope for many knee pain patients looking for relief from joint discomfort, helping improve mobility and quality of life. New Roads Chiropractic Center is ready to talk about the appropriateness of these natural compounds for you at your next appointment!

Bring your knee pain (and send that of your friends and family!) to New Roads Chiropractic Center! We’re ready to help.

Schedule your New Roads chiropractic appointment today!

Thank you! Have a great October!

References for HEALTHY NEWS – October 2024