There are no two ways about it — knee pain can stop you in your tracks and prevent you from doing what you love.

Maybe you’ve had several providers look at your knee with little to no success. The problem may be that knee pain is rarely about the knee. Yup, I said it. Unless you’ve had a specific trauma to the knee (in which case your knee pain does, in fact, most likely originate in the knee), your pain is probably being caused elsewhere in the body.

The knee hurts, but the problem frequently arises from either the joint above, the hip, or the joint below, the foot/ankle complex. Dysfunction in either of these areas can create undue stress, wear and tear (and hence pain) in the joint stuck in the middle — the knee. Treating symptoms may help in the short term, but often the pain comes right back. It is akin to pointing your fire extinguisher at the tip of a flame while ignoring the gas can at the base that is fueling the fire.

If the hip is tight or otherwise compensating, that creates undue tension on the knee. This creates excessive wear and strain, leading to pain, stiffness, and lack of mobility. If the foot/ankle complex is not moving properly, that strain carries right up the leg to the next joint — you guessed it, the knee. The body is a brilliant and complex system. If one part is not working optimally, some other part will compensate. This often means one muscle or group of muscles will overwork while some underwork. Overworked muscles get strained and tired (read: painful, stiff), while underworked muscles fatigue easily and don’t pull their full share of the load.

Getting assessed rather than simply treating the symptoms is key to helping you feel better and get back to doing what you enjoy. Remember the old kids' song, “The hip bone’s connected to the knee bone.” Find your driver of pain. Treat that, and your pain resolves.

Need more specialized help? Feel free to reach out to Bean at Brandon Stretch and Neuromuscular Therapy.