Knee pain and Chondromalacia

Written by: Dr Evan Steinke, BSc, DC

Pain in and around the knee is a common occurrence but the causes can be broad and varied. Chondromalacia patella, sometimes known as a runner’s knee, is one potential cause of knee pain. It is characterized by pain to the front of the knee over and around the patella, or knee cap. It may increase with prolonged sitting with knees bent such as while watching a movie. It may also increase with running and other sports that apply pressure to the knee.

Chondromalacia might sound like a mouthful but very accurately describes the condition itself. The word is derived from the word chondros, meaning cartilage, and malakia, meaning softening, hence the softening and erosion of the cartilage on the kneecap is the source of pain in this condition. As the cartilage breaks down the kneecap no longer glides as easily over the knee and may even rub against the opposing joint surface. This can result in painful irritation and irregular movement of the kneecap overtop of the femur.

Treatment of chondromalacia patella often includes trying to reduce inflammation which may be done through rest and ice. If there is a specific cause of the condition, such as running, it should also be addressed with your clinician. This could include analyzing gait, correcting muscle imbalances, using orthotics or different types of shoes, and adjusting any misalignments in the joint.

If you are having knee pain and think you may have chondromalacia it is best to see a chiropractor or physio to have it evaluated. This way an individualized treatment and management plan that addresses your needs and concerns can be created.

If you would like an assessment book in at Active Sports Therapy, for a personal assessment and treatment plan. Dr. Evan Steinke, BSc. DC works at AST Westman

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Knee Pain

Frozen Shoulder Explained

Written By: Dr Evan Steinke, DC

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is characterized by pain and a progressive loss of motion in your shoulder joint. You may have experienced this as beginning with shoulder pain from an unknown cause that made your sleep difficult and became increasingly painful over the coming weeks. Frozen shoulder is caused by inflammation of the shoulder joint resulting in adhesions and stiffening of the surrounding structures. As a result, the shoulder begins to become painful and lose its mobility. This is more commonly seen in people over the age of 40 and is slightly more common among women with both diabetes and thyroid disease being known risk factors.

Frozen shoulder is known to have a particularly long recovery time without treatment of 18-24 months. Due to the long duration of the condition is often divided into three phases.

Phase 1 – Freezing: Pain in the shoulder as it begins to tighten over several months. It may be particularly noticeable at night and progress to being painful at rest.

Phase 2 – Frozen: The structures around the shoulder are now adhered to each other and mobility is limited in most or all directions, however, pain may begin to diminish in this phase. This phase can last for up to a year.

Phase 3 – Thawing: The structures around the shoulder begin to loosen and allow for a gradual return of shoulder mobility over 6+ months.

Your doctor will be able to determine which phase you are in with a physical examination, there is no need for x-rays or other forms of imaging. Management of frozen shoulder depends on the phase you are currently in but will often include a wide range of physical therapy approaches aiming to improve your range of motion and providing relief. These can include the following:

Muscle release techniques: These techniques aim to help ease pain in the surrounding shoulder muscles and reduce muscle tension to allow for improved movement.

Exercises and Stretches: A variety of programs can be performed at home that aim to improve muscle strength, improve flexibility, and provide improved joint stability.

Mobilization: Working with the shoulder joint directly your therapist will help mobilize the joint to improve range of motion.

Activity Modification: Depending on your specific needs your doctor may also make modifications to your daily routines and activities to ease the load and stress on your shoulder joint.

In severe cases that do not respond to conservative care your therapist will be able to evaluate and direct you for a shoulder injection or discuss other options for your particular situation.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar call Active Sports Therapy at 4032781405 to book your shoulder assessment today.

Active Release Techniques - A Very Successful Type of Hands-On Treatment

By: Active Sports Therapy

ART stands for Active Release Techniques.  It is a highly successful hands-on treatment method that addresses problems in the soft tissues of the body, including the muscles, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.  ART treatment has great success in dealing with soft tissue injuries because it is specifically designed to locate and treat scar tissue adhesions that accumulate in the muscles and surrounding soft tissues.

You can think of an ART treatment as a type of active massage. The practitioner will first shorten the muscle, tendon, or ligament, and then apply a very specific pressure with their hand as you actively stretch and lengthen the tissues.  As the tissue lengthens the practitioner is able to assess the texture and tension of the muscle to determine if the tissue is healthy or contains scar tissue that needs further treatment. When scar tissue adhesions are felt the amount and direction of tension can be modified to treat the problematic area. In this sense, each treatment is also an assessment of the health of the area as we are able to feel specifically where the problem is occurring.

An additional benefit of ART is it allows us to further assess and correct problems not only at the site of pain itself, but also in other areas of the kinetic chain, which are associated with movement compensations and are often contributing factors to the problem. This ensures that all the soft tissues that have become dysfunctional and are contributing to the specific injury are addressed, even if they have not yet all developed pain.

One of the best things about ART is how fast it can get results. In our experience, there are many types of injuries that respond very well to ART treatment, especially when combined with the appropriate home stretching and strengthening exercises. Although each case is unique and there are several factors that will determine the length of time required to fully resolve each condition, we usually find a significant improvement can be gained in just 4-6 treatments.

Here’s a list of common problems that our chiropractors are equipped to treat using Active Release Techniques. You may be surprised to learn that our chiropractors can treat more than just your back!

Achilles Tendonitis, Ankle Injuries,Back Pain / Injuries, Bicipital Tendonitis, Bursitis. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Compartment Syndrome, Foot Pain and Injury, Frozen Shoulder, Gait Imbalances, Golf Injuries, Golfer’s Elbow (Tendonitis), Hand Injuries, Headaches, Hip Pain, Hyperflexion Injuries, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Impingement Syndrome, Joint Dysfunction, Knee and Leg Pain, Knee Meniscal Injuries, Muscle Pulls or Strains, Muscle Weakness, Myofascitis, Neck Pain, Nerve Entrapment, Syndromes, Repetitive Strain Injuries, Plantar Fasciitis, Post – Surgical, Restrictions, Running Injuries, Rib Pain, Rotator Cuff Syndrome, Shin Splints, Scar Tissue Formation, Sciatica, Swimmer’s Shoulder, Shoulder Pain, Sports Injuries, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Tendonitis / Tendonosis, Tennis Elbow,Weight Lifting Injuries, Throwing Injuries, TMJ, Whiplash.

Book an appointment today with one of our ART trained Chiropractors. 

*This blog is not intended to officially establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician, naturopathic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor or otherwise to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.