How To Prevent Athletic Knee Injuries

By Robert M. Cohl, DC

Cohl Chiropractic Center

. https://cohlchiropractic.com/

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How To Prevent Athletic Knee Injuries

Knee injuries are very common in sports. Approximately 50% are due to sprains/strains and dislocations, with some of them becoming season-ending injuries. ACL and/or meniscus tears make up about about 30% of these injuries.

It is extremely important to assess which lower extremity functional problems exist prior to an injury. Quintessential Applications (QA) is a post-graduate program that has developed a method to quickly and accurately diagnose and correct these orthopedic medical presentations.

In the case of proper knee function, testing the individual muscles that support the knee can be effectively analyzed by a doctor trained in Applied Kinesiology (AK). The key is finding the supporting muscles that are neurologically inhibited through Manual Muscle Testing. In AK and QA we determine which muscles have motor inhibition (weakness) and reset it with manual techniques and /or with the Erchonia Cold Laser. This correction can be done at the local level, by activating the belly and/or origin-insertion points in the muscles. It is also very important to adjust the joint dysfunction in the associated extremity.

In chronic cases and high impact injuries, we often follow the neurological problem back to the spinal level and reset it with specific chiropractic adjustments and/or the cold laser.

Some of the common complaints that athletes have with muscle dysfunction and imbalances involved with most common knee problems

adductors difficulty crossing legs, medial knee pain, lower groin pain, positive Patrick's test.

hamstrings Medial/Lateral lateral knee problems, pulled hamstring injury, ACL tears.

popliteus difficulty going down stairs, meniscus tears, faulty screw-home mechanism.

quadriceps lateral/medial patella displacement, static standing knee hyperextension, difficulty going down and/or up stairs.

sartorius medial meniscus injury, difficulty going down stairs. tightness in the iliotibial band, hip pointer injury, adolescent knocked knees.

Tensor Fascia Lata lateral knee problems, decreased hip adduction/ adult hip arthritis.

gracilis medial meniscus injury.

Whenever the knee is involved a potential problem can also develop into an aberrant global movement running pattern know as gait dysfunction. Other orthopedic problems can develop as well, such as other foot, ankle, hip, pelvic and back pain.

Again, early “hands on” intervention precedes any exercise rehabilitation in stretching and strengthening, whether it is static or dynamic. Manual Muscle Testing, AK and QA offers techniques that can effectively evaluate and correct functional imbalances prior to participation in sports activities and is a great protocol for preventing sports injuries.