Most people associate chiropractic care with just spinal adjustments. While that is certainly part of many chiropractic visits, our team also focuses on other parts of the body where pain is present. For instance, many people in Temecula, CA visit Horst Chiropractic for treatment of jumper’s knee and joint pain.

We’d like to take a moment to consider the basics of jumper’s knee and why undergoing chiropractic care is much better than just popping a pain reliever and wearing a knee brace.

What Is Jumper’s Knee?

Also known as patellar tendonitis and patellar tendinopathy, jumper’s knee refers to a tendon involving the kneecap, the kneecap tendon, and the lower kneecap pole. The condition causes pain and stiffness of the joint. Jumper’s knee is common in people as they get older, affecting up to 20 percent of athletes who jump a lot in their chosen sport.

The term jumper’s knee was first coined in 1973. Bilateral tendinopathy (both knees affected) is equally common in men and women, though unilateral tendinopathy (one knee affected) is more common among men than women.

Causes of Jumper’s Knee

Jumper’s knee is the result of repeated stress on the knees caused by jumping and landing. Athletes who participate in the following sports are most at risk for the condition:

• Basketball
• Volleyball
• High jump
• Long jump

Soccer players may also be affected by jumper’s knee. Though rare, jumper’s knee can also be present in athletes who don’t jump but place a great deal of stress on their knees, such as cyclists and weight lifters.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Chiropractic care can improve overall joint alignment, and even assist in the manipulation and stretching of soft tissues. By focusing on the knee joint, a chiropractor can promote pain relief while also restoring mobility, strength, and flexibility. All adjustments are specific to the needs of a patient’s body.

Chiropractic Adjustment vs. Knee Braces

Many people wonder if just wearing a knee brace will suffice for treating their jumper’s knee. While the brace may help a little with pain management, it is only a temporary solution that addresses the side effects of the condition and not the root cause.

By comparison, chiropractic adjustments target the knee joint itself and seeks to address the affected tendons and structures of the knee directly. In other words, wearing a knee brace can’t hurt, but chiropractic care certainly helps.

Considering How You Move and How to Avoid Injury

As part of chiropractic care, we can also discuss what triggers pain or sensitivity in your knee on an average day. After identifying the causes of pain, we can then suggest modifications of movement that help reduce discomfort and joint stiffness.

You may want to minimize jumping and squatting, for instance, given the stress on the knees. We can also suggest exercises that help strengthen the knees to help reduce pain when performing certain actions. This focus on targeting causes of pain allows the benefits of in-office chiropractic care to last longer, More importantly, you will be more aware of your body and its needs.

Holistic Approaches to Overall Wellness

Chiropractic adjustment, activity modification, and knee exercises can also be combined with improvements to your diet and other aspects of your lifestyle. Losing weight, even just a little bit, can reduce the stress on the knees as well as other parts of your body.

This holistic approach to care is part of what makes chiropractic adjustments so appealing to people suffering from joint pain of all kinds.

Learn More about Relieving Knee Pain

For more information about treating jumper’s knee and improving your overall wellness, it’s important that you contact a skilled chiropractor. We will assist you with your health and wellness needs, focusing on pain relief and holistic care.