Knee Pain

I always hear my patients tell me "don't get old".  I smile and reply "we are all going to get old one day and we have no control over that, but we CAN find ways to help ourselves not to feel our OLDNESS".  One of the ways is to get regular acupuncture treatments.  One of the most common complaints as we age is knee pain.  When we gain weight, it also puts extra pressure on our knees.  Did you know that every pound of weight you lose equals to 4 times less pressure on your knees?!  That makes a huge difference.  Knee pain can be felt at different locations, such as on top of the knee, medial side of the knee cap (most common), below the knee cap, and lateral side of the knee cap.  Pain on top of the knee might be related to tendonitis or swelling.  Pain on the inside of the knee may be due to arthritis, meniscus tear or ligament tear.  Pain under the patella may be due to overuse.  Pain on the outside of the knee may be also due to arthritis, ligament or meniscus tear.  MRI would provide the best image of the knee and diagnose the cause of the knee pain, so that appropriate treatments can be provided.  Physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture are alternative ways to help reduce knee pain, and important to try these modalities together before resorting to partial or total knee replacement.  Electro-acupuncture is often used to treat knee pain and also very effective in reducing pain and increasing flexibility and mobility.  Regular treatments are necessary to keep the pain away and help the body to learn how to protect itself from future damage.  With less pain, there is an improvement in quality of life and ability to exercise again.  In acupuncture, it would be best to treat the problem before it gets worse.  So I always tell my patients that as soon as they feel pain, seek out for acupuncture and take care of the pain promptly.  You should not deal with pain for more than a week.  When a condition has settled in for more than 3 months, it is considered chronic.  Use acupuncture to help you manage pain and start feeling better now.

~ Mei Lin Maunakea

Image credit to Matthew Henry