What
Causes knee pain?
There are many causes of
knee pain. Below are a few that are easy to address with massage
therapy.
-
Tight muscles in the calfs, legs, thighs, gluteals, hips when overworked
can become, contracted, shortened. This will cause them to pull on
the tendons and other tissues that are part of the knee joint.
This can produce an imbalance in the knee joint creating stress,
friction, misalignment and pain. Below are some ways in
which this can happen.
-
High-heel shoes - If you spend
a lot of time in high heel shoes, your calf muscles will be continuously
contracted and eventually shortened thereby pulling on the knee joint
and creating pain
-
Did you switch to high heel shoes all of a sudden. If yes,
then your calfs might begin to hurt and spasm and your knee may be
affected.
- Do you sleep with the sheets tucked in under the mattress?
If you do, then your feet are stretched in the same position as if you
were wearing high heel shoes and your calf muscles remain contracted and
shortened throughout the night. This can lead to knee pain and
also Plantar Fasciitis which is a very painful foot condition.
-
Do you sit on top of one leg with your knee bent. If you
do, then stop doing it for a few days and see how you feel. When
you sit this way, you cut off circulation to the tissues surrounding
your knee joint, plus if you other leg and thigh muscles are tight, you
are sure to feel knew pain.
- Sitting for prolonged periods of time, at the office, school,
in the car, airplane, at the movies, restaurants, at home computer,
watching tv.
Sitting is very stressful on the back and leg muscles. Try to stand
up every 30-60 minutes and walk around and stretch a bit. Get the
circulation going again.
Also, if you are wearing high-heel shoes, even while sitting, you calf
muscles remain in the same contracted position as when you are standing.
-
Workout - did you overdo your
workout. That can lead to sore muscles & joints.
- Trigger Points - any of the above can
create trigger points in muscles that produce knee pain.
click here to learn more about Trigger Points
The
solution to this type of knee pain is to Massage all these
muscles, releasing and elongating the ones that are contracted and
shortened, and re-energizing the ones that are weak.
I blend several techniques based on each client's condition and the
cause of their knee pain. I have NO routines. You will
always receive individualized therapy.
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At your first massage, I will be asking
you questions to determine the cause of your knee pain and to determine
the best approach for your massage. I will also give you some tips
to avoid or manage your knee pain.
Massage
to relief your knee pain will vary depending on the reason for it and
your condition at the time. But basically, I will be targeting all
the muscles that can affect the knee joint
Beginning
with the calf muscles which is usually the main culprit when they are
contracted and shortened. These need to be released and
lengthened.
Next are all the other muscles of the leg and thigh. All the muscles
that affect the hips including the gluteals, deep lateral
rotators, Iliotibial band, Tensor fasciae latae muscle, Quadratus
lumborum, muscles of the spine, particularly the sacrum and lumbar.
It is also very important to massage all around the knee joint to try to
bring circulation to all the soft tissue in that area and to break up
any adhesions in the fascia, tendons, ligaments, etc.
The back of the knee is a particularly sensitive area since the
nerves of the leg pass through it and are easily accessible. For this
reason the massage techniques performed in this areas must be performed
in a very skilled and conscientious
manner.
The
feet also affect your knee joint, so it is important to provide a thorough
massage of the feet and ankles.
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