04 Apr Combatting Leg and Knee Pain
At Mile High Spine & Pain Center, we specialize in natural, non-surgical approaches to combat your chronic pain—leg and knee pain are no exception. From 1997 to 2009, knee replacement surgeries (most of them being total knee replacements) increased by 84%. Many patients may not know their options when it comes to relieving knee pain, and this could be one of the causes for such a high statistic. There are natural, effective alternatives to surgery you can benefit from! Avoid knee replacement surgery or other major changes with our therapies and health plans at our Mile High Spine & Pain Center!
Dealing with Pain
Did you know that experiencing pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is damaged? Although unpleasant, pain can be a good thing because it tells you exactly where something is wrong in your body. Millions of people have leg and knee pain. Some know why they have this pain and others have this pain come on over time as the result of chronic diseases (such as arthritis). Many athletes (especially runners) begin to experience knee pain after years of rigorous physical activity. Even a beginning athlete can have leg or knee pain because they don’t know the proper way to stretch, exercise or perform the motions they are putting their body through.
No matter if you know the cause of your leg or knee pain, don’t let it continue! Pain is often associated with swelling and inflammation. Both of these can damage joints, wear them away and hurt other tissues if they aren’t controlled and eliminated. Your best option is to deal with the pain through natural healing therapies and treatments that don’t involve surgery or invasive procedures.
Leg and Knee Pain in Patients
Your degree of leg and knee pain is dependent on what is causing it and your lifestyle. Some patients have aches and pains simply from a poor diet or a sedentary lifestyle. Your body needs physical exercise coupled with a good diet in order to stay healthy. Figuring out how many people suffer from leg and knee pain can be difficult, as there are so many causes for this pain. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis alone cause 30 million Americans joint pain, especially in the knees. With countless other chronic conditions that exist, we’re talking about many millions of people that suffer from leg and knee pain.
Many people get knee replacements every year for chronic knee pain. This is a serious surgery, where a person’s knee joints are completely removed and replaced with a prosthetic. Recovery from this surgery is very painful and takes many months and even years from start to finish. Plus, this type of surgery costs many thousands of dollars. It’s actually recommended that patients try other methods before turning to a treatment like this.
Choosing Natural Therapy
Physical therapy or chiropractic physical therapy is recommended for people who have leg and knee pain. Why? Physical therapy is catered to the individual to combat their chronic pain while finding the cause of it. If the cause is an injury, services are directed at healing the injury in its entirety while providing pain relief in the process. If the problem is joint deterioration from arthritis, soothing joint injections provide the cushion and pain relief that joints need to stop hurting. If a person is fairly young but often saddled with leg and knee pain, we can help teach a patient proper stretching, exercising and how to move their body to avoid injury.
Physical therapy also seeks to build up muscles and make a person stronger while treating the pain and symptoms their condition causes. Even people of very old age or who have physical handicaps have services available to them to keep their body strong, healthy and free of pain. Choose physical therapy to combat your leg and knee pain and follow recommendations such as:
- Choose a non-narcotic pain medication as needed.
- Lose any excess weight that strains joints.
- Build up muscles in leg and knee areas that are weak.
- Exercise, but don’t over-do it.
- Receive anti-inflammatory injections for arthritis or other inflammation-causing conditions to protect your joints.
- Wear flat shoes with proper arch support and skip high heels. Investing in an orthotic can help ease leg and knee pain immensely.
- Make sure you are eating a balanced diet full of nutrients.
Is Natural Healing Better?
In many cases, natural healing methods are much better for the body. Surgeries cut tissues in your body to fix problems, which creates more problems with the areas that were cut. In some cases, surgery doesn’t actually fix a person’s health problem, and they’ve just landed themselves with months or years of healing time. This can be costly as well, not only with money, but with your ability to work and to be able to do the things you love.
You always want to take the most natural approach to healing as possible, but one that will be effective to fix the problem that you are having. Why turn to healing methods that could harm you or cause unwanted side effects when natural methods work just fine? Time and time again, we have had patients come into our office with chronic pain and conditions that take away from their life. However, with natural therapy and some time, those patients end up happier, with less pain and better health.
Overcoming Your Chronic Leg and Knee Pain
Nobody wants to be in pain. Studies show that a shocking 76 million Americans have had chronic pain that lasts over 24 hours at a time. Nobody needs to be in that kind of pain when there are so many methods to stop it from happening. Plus, not seeking treatment can lead to permanent damage in your tissues, joints and muscles. Leg and knee pain is incredibly common, but that doesn’t mean that our patients just have to accept it. If you have leg or knee pain, soothe it with natural therapies and joint injections. Patients who try these methods often find themselves with little to no pain, greater range-of-motion, and a better quality of life. If you suffer from leg or knee pain, don’t keep living with the pain! Call Mile High Spine & Pain Center at (720) 507-0080 to find natural treatments and therapies that can help relieve your pain today!