Knee Pain

Knee pain is a very common psychosomatic pain syndrome. Many patients experience pain in one or both knees as either their main health complaint or a secondary symptomatic condition. The knee is also a typical location for a wide variety of diagnosed structural pain conditions. It has been vilified by the medical community as a structure often plagued by treatment resistant pain and recurrent injuries. The reality for many patients is that the knee is simply yet another bodily location which is greatly misunderstood by the medical community.

Knee Pain

Diagnosis of Knee Pain

The knee is a site which can suffer from several diagnosed conditions. The most common diagnoses of physical knee problems include:

* Torn or injured ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament)
* Torn or injured Meniscus
* Torn or injured MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament)
* Kneecap (Patella) Injury
* Fluid in the knee joint

Most of these conditions are the result of traumatic injury, often caused by participation in sports. Some knee conditions can be the result of degenerative processes in the actual joint.

Psychosomatic Knee Pain

Although many patients suffer from painful knees blamed on one of the above structural conditions, the diagnosis is often incorrect. Some ligament and joint injuries are not inherently painful and will resolve all by themselves. Some patients with long term knee symptoms, which have not responded well to appropriate medical treatment, have certainly been misdiagnosed. Some of these patients are most likely suffering from ischemia related pain in their knees which has been blamed on some scapegoat structural condition. This helps to explain why so many patients with chronic pain in the knees never fully recover.

Treatment of Knee Pain

Conservative treatment for painful symptoms usually consists of physical therapy. Additionally, exercise and stretching are important parts of rehabilitating a painful knee condition. Dietary changes are sometimes also employed, such as the addition of glucosamine and chondroitin, which might help to improve joint function. Moderate knee treatments usually employ orthotic braces and supports, which may help to stabilize the knee joint during healing. Drastic treatment is usually surgical intervention and correction of any suspected problematic condition. Arthroscopic procedures are a huge improvement over traditional open knee surgeries. These minimally invasive techniques have become the industry standard for repairing the majority of knee injuries. Occasionally, fully open surgery is required to correct severe or multiple injuries to the knee joint.

Recommendation on Knee Pain

I suffered from knee problems for much of my life. As a child and early teen, my knees (especially the right knee) would lock up if I knelt on it a certain way. This was very uncomfortable, but diagnostic tests showed no anatomical reason for the condition to exist. During martial arts training, I tore the meniscus in my right knee, not once, but twice, 3 years apart. The first time, it healed fine on its own, but the second time, surgery was recommended to fix the problem. By this time, I was well versed in both knee problems and mind/body medicine. I did not think surgery was necessary and managed to rehabilitate the knee on my own. I have never injured it since, many years later.

Knee injury is a very painful and debilitating condition. For patients with actual physical injuries, make sure to investigate treatment options carefully. Patients who suffer from long term unresolved knee concerns should consider whether they might be suffering from a psychosomatic pain syndrome, rather than an anatomical structural defect. The incidence of psychological knee issues is very high and the condition can usually be treated 100% successfully using the same knowledge therapy principles one would use to cure back pain. Best of all, there are no side effects or risks of surgery to endure. The answer to your knee pain condition might very well already be inside your own mind. All you have to do is learn the techniques and apply the knowledge to enact a cure.
Knee Pain to Back Pain Home 4/23/08 Revised 7/26/08