Pain Relief Chiropractic

Have you ever wondered what actually happens when a player on your favorite sports team has a knee injury? Why is this so common, and why is the knee more vulnerable than the ankle or hip?

One reason is simple anatomy. Unlike the hip, the knee doesn’t have a deep socket, meaning there is less stability and they don’t have the added side protection the ankles enjoy. The knee is more like a hinge with little protection when impacts occur from any direction.

In a classic football tackle from the side (or in a “clip”), the runner’s foot is planted with the lower leg rotated inward as the player is cutting a corner when WHAM, a hit occurs. When the tissues in the knee are stretched beyond their limits, they can tear. The order in which the tearing occurs and the amount or degree of the tear is dependent on the exact mechanism of injury or the direction and force of the impact.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the innermost structure while the MCL and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is found on the outside of the joint. If the hit is from the front, the ACL may bear the brunt of the blow while a hit from another direction may first affect the medial collateral ligament (MCL). The meniscus is a C-wedge shaped piece of cartilage that absorbs shock between the joints of the femur and tibia with one on the inside (medial) and outside (lateral meniscus). The meniscus is among the most common of knee injuries, often associated with a twist or torsional stress. This is commonly referred to as a “torn cartilage.”

In one study of 100 consecutive patients with recent ACL tears, there were also 53 MCL, 12 medial, 35 lateral, and 11 bilateral meniscus injuries. The cause included 59/100 injuries due to contact sports, 30/100 in downhill skiing, and 11/100 in other recreational activities, traffic accidents, or at work. It is estimated that there are 100,000 anterior cruciate surgeries in the United States each year!

Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to identify, treat, and rehab knee injuries both pre- and post-surgically. They frequently work with other allied healthcare professionals to optimize outcomes as quickly as possible.

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Dr. Brent Binder
4909 Louise Drive, Suite 102
Mechanicsburg Pa, 17055

Member of Chiro-Trust.org

This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all healthcare concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a healthcare professional who is familiar with your updated medical history

When you ask people to point to their hip joint, it’s very interesting to see the vast number of places where people point—the low back, side of the pelvis, front of the pelvis, in the groin, and more! If one were to draw a line between the back and front pocket, that’s basically the hip joint.

So keeping the hip joint in mind, picture the squat exercise. According to Dr. Stuart McGill, director of the Spine Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to safely perform a squat, one must FIRST consider genetics and the role it plays, especially in performing a deep squat.

Genetics, according to Dr. McGill, helps us to determine whether the hip joint can handle squatting. For example, genetically shallow hip sockets predispose people to hip dysplasia (arthritis). The highest rate of hip dysplasia in the world is in Poland as individuals of Polish descent are genetically predisposed to be develop shallow hip sockets. However, because of these shallow sockets, the range of motion of their hips (prior to dysplasia, of course) is greater and also more powerful in the deep squat position.

Hence, it should not be surprising that the great Olympic weight lifters come from Poland, Bulgaria, and Ukraine due in part to this uniquely shaped and shallow hip socket (called the Dalmatian hip). In contrast, the shape of the hip in those of Scottish descent is deep, which has a great advantage for walking, standing, and rotation power, but the deep sockets are terrible for producing power at the bottom of a deep squat.

Similarly, Celtic and French populations have deep sockets, and that is the most logical reason why exercises that require a wide range of motion, like yoga, can result in impingement pain in a high percentage of people of such ancestry.

So, how does this relate to hip pain? Depending on your genetic makeup, if you are of the descent where shallow hip sockets are common, it might be best to avoid deep squats and/or occupations that require a lot of weight-bearing and bending over, especially those with heavy lifting. Even though you might win a squatting competition due to less hip impingement, the shallow sockets tend to wear out faster.

Bottom line, when engaging in an exercise class, running, cycling, or the like, if there is pain (a “bad” or sharp lancinating pain), DON’T DO THAT EXERCISE! Stay within “reasonable pain boundaries” and you should generally be safe. DON’T try to keep up with the person next to you, as they may be genetically “better matched” for the activity that you’re engaging in.

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Dr. Brent Binder
4909 Louise Drive, Suite 102
Mechanicsburg Pa, 17055

Member of Chiro-Trust.org

Shoulder pain is a REALLY common problem that can arise from many causes. There are actually several joints that make up the shoulder, so shoulder injuries can be quite complex!

Probably the most common source of shoulder pain arises from the muscle tendons and the bursa—the fluid-filled sacs that lubricate, cushion, and protect the sliding tendons near their attachment to bone. The rotator cuff is made up from a group of four muscles and their connecting tendons. Typically, when the tendons tear, the bursa swells and “impingement” occurs. When this happens, it’s very painful to raise the arm up from the side.

The term “strain” applies to injuries of the muscles and tendons and are classified as mild, moderate, or severe (some refer to this as first, second, and third degree tears), depending on the amount of tissue that has torn. Overexertion, overuse, sports injuries, dislocation, fracture, frozen shoulder, joint instability, and pinched nerves can all give rise to shoulder pain.

The diagnosis of what’s actually causing a patient’s shoulder pain is often determined by the history of how the injury occurred, or the “mechanism of injury.” This is followed up by measuring the range of motion and performing provocative tests to see which positions bother the shoulder the most. A doctor may use X-rays to assess for fracture/dislocation and an MRI to assess muscle tendon tears, labral tears (a rim of cartilage surrounding the glenoid fossa or cup of the ball & socket joint), and other soft tissue injuries.

People with jobs that require heavy lifting or repetitive pounding (carpenters and jack-hammer operators, for example), who play sports such as football and rugby, and those who smoke, have diabetes, and/or an overactive thyroid are at higher risk of injury. Because the shoulder joint is normally not very stable, MANY people tear their rotator cuff or injure their shoulder during their lifetime. One study found 17% of participants had full thickness rotator cuff tears (as opposed to partial tears). The researchers reported that age was an important determinant, as the incidence of full tears was only 6% in those less than 60 years old vs. 30% in those over 60! So obviously, this IS NOT an injury limited to the younger active person!

Outside of a medical emergency, patients should always try non-surgical treatment options first. Doctors of chiropractic offer the shoulder injury patient a non-surgical option that emphasizes exercise and self-management strategies in addition to manual manipulation, mobilization, and more. The most important message is BE PATIENT as these usually take time to manage, often up to a year.

FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL 717-697-1888

Dr. Brent Binder
4909 Louise Drive, Suite 102
Mechanicsburg Pa, 17055

Member of Chiro-Trust.org