News — Barbara Lukac M.OMSc Osteopathic Practitioner

THE MUSCLES AND NERVES OF THE KNEE

The knee muscles crossing the joint stem from the pelvis bone. The innervation (nerves that supply motor and sensory function to muscles) stem from the lumbar plexus or otherwise known as the lower back.

The muscles crossing the knee joint are:
Quadriceps- front of the knee
Hamstrings- back of the knee
Abductors- Out side of the knee
Adductors- Inside of the knee

It so happens that all these muscles attach to the pelvis. This is an important fact because if the pelvis has decreased motion it creates tension to the muscles of the leg. Tension will cause the muscles to shorten not allowing the knee to move freely.

Knee pain can also affect the hip because the same muscles bend and straighten both joints, so if one isn't working functionally you can't expect the other to work at 100%.

Another reason why people may experience knee pain is from lower back dysfunction. For example, if you tend to stand on the balls of your feet this puts tension on both the front and back of the legs, increases the curve of the lower back and it shifts the pelvis forward leading to an over extension of the knees which creates stress to the ligaments and muscles of the knee. If you stand more on the heels of your feet, this flattens out the lower back, rotates the pelvis backward and pulls on the front of the leg muscles which, in turn pulls on the tendon crossing the knee joint.

HOW NERVE SUPPLY TO THE LOWER LEG IS AFFECTED?

Nerves of the lower back are affected if the structural mechanics (the way bones moves) is changed by injury, day to day movements and posture. Change to the nervous system means there is a change to the way the nerves are firing to the lower legs, changing the tone in the muscles. An increased tone in muscles will not allow the knee to move freely, creating inflammation and pain in the area. Restoring nerve supply will restore muscle tone to the legs allowing for proper function.

HOW TO FIX THE KNEE & POTENTIAL/BACK HIP PROBLEM?

Go see an Osteopath!

Osteopathic practitioners use manual therapy to adjust and restore functional movement to the pelvis and lower back. This allows for unrestricted motion of the joint and relieves the muscles of unwanted tension and tightness which was causing the knee pain in the first place. Dysfunctional motion in a joint will also cause discomfort and pain because you are asking the joint to move out its normal range.

For example, your pelvis isn't moving because you fell on it one day in the winter due to icy conditions. This causes an outward rotation of the hip joint which will also cause an out ward rotation in the knee. This outward rotation puts strain on muscles and ligaments crossing the joint, at first it may not be noticeable but overtime this strain creates inflammation, pain, a change in walking mechanics and eventually the body will compensate to accommodate for the winter injury creating more dysfunction in other joints.

THE BODY IS A UNIT

So you see why a knee problem isn't always a knee problem. A change in movement to the hip and lower back can create the knee problem and the knee pain is just the symptom not the cause. It is the job of an Osteopathic Practitioner to find the cause of the knee pain not just treat the symptom.

If you have an questions or comments about this article or would like to book an appointment please email or call me at:

barblukac@gmail.com
905.808.8141

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy’s philosophy is based on the body’s ability to self-heal and self-regulate when free from any obstructions, restriction of motion or bone mal-alignment. With the complete knowledge of anatomy and physiology and their association with health and disease, an Osteopath can work to find the root cause of an issue, as opposed to dealing with just the effects, through manual adjustments. This helps to return the body to its optimum naturally.

What can Osteopathy treat?

Acute and Chronic issues
Trapped nerves (Sciatica, Carpal Tunnel)
Low back pain
Joint dysfunction (hip, knee)
Shoulder tension
Postural Alignment
Bowel and Digestive Issues
Numbess and tingling in limbs
Musculoskeletal (soft tissue and bones)

Who is Osteopathy good for?
Osteopathy is good for everyone, if you are suffering or dealing with any issues that is causing decreased range of motion, muscle tension, joint discomfort, constipation, diarrhea, incontinence, reproductive issues, infertility, and more.

What can you expect from Osteopathic treatment?
A thorough intake of health history, a thorough assessment and a treatment. The first osteopathic treatment can be general or specific depending on what the patient presents with. A full assessment gives the practitioner an understanding of what is going on mechanically and physiologically so he/she can provide the best treatment possible. Osteopathy finds and treats the main cause of the problem, but a few treatments might be needed because the body compensates to maintain normalcy and those compensations need to be removed in order to get to the root of the problem.

What is the difference between Osteopathy and a Chiropractor?

Chiropactor– “Chiropractic embraces the science of life, the knowledge of how organisms act in health and disease, also the art of adjusting the neuroskeleton,” (Early American Manual Therapy, The Chiropractor,D.D. Palmer 1914) The chiropractor adjusts the vertebrae which makes up the spinal column and believes that all life force comes from spine and adjusting the spine will restore tone to the body.

Osteopathy– Treats the body as a unit, as a whole. All systems, muscles, nervous, organs, glandular and vascular (blood) work together to make the body work as a whole. One area cannot be in dysfunction without affecting another area. For example, organs and muscles are supplied by the same set of nerves, so when a muscle is in dysfunction it can cause bowel, digestion, kidney etc issues. This is called a somatic (muscle)- visceral (organ) reflex. There are also other reflexes in the body that can create issues such as somatic-somatic, somatic-visceral and physcosomatic reflexes. This is why Osteopathic Practitioners treat the entire body, treat the soft tissue, organs and hard tissue.