Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeEditor PicksCan Back Problems Cause Knee Pain

Can Back Problems Cause Knee Pain

Natural Relief For Knee Pain

“Can Knee Pain Cause Back Pain?”

Before you turn to invasive surgeries or give up your favorite pastime, why not give upper cervical chiropractic a try. It is a gentle form of chiropractic that is safe and effective for the whole family regardless of your age or present health.

To learn more, contact a practitioner in your area. A consultation will help you to determine if this is the right option for you. If so, you may discover that a few gentle adjustments set you on the path to better health and well-being. Hopefully, youll be able to join the ranks of upper cervical chiropractic patients who are now happy to be free from knee pain.

to schedule a consultation today.

How Knee Pain And Sciatica May Be Connected

Sciatica describes pain, pins-and-needles, or lack of feeling in the legs that is caused by damage or pressure to the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve extends from your toes all the way up to your lower back. Because this critical nerve travels through the back of your knee and controls muscles in that area, problems with it often lead to knee pain.

If you are experiencing knee pain, you are certainly not alone. Among adult American chronic pain patients, 1 in 5 report knee pain, making it the second most common pain condition in the United States. To consider treatment, first it is important to assess your pains severity. At-home strategies are often effective for mild to moderate joint pain. However, for moderate to severe cases, care and expertise of a medical professional may be necessary.

Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

The posterior cruciate ligament is the ACLs partner. Its another band of tissue that connects your thighbone to your shinbone and supports your knee. However, the PCL isnt as likely to get injured as the ACL.

You can injure the PCL if you take a hard blow to the front of your knee, such as in a car accident. Sometimes injuries occur from twisting the knee or missing a step while walking.

Stretching the ligament too far causes a strain. With enough pressure, the ligament can tear into two parts.

Along with pain, a PCL injury causes:

  • swelling of the knee
  • trouble walking
  • weakness of the knee

Rest, ice, and elevation can help a PCL injury heal faster. You might need surgery if youve injured more than one ligament in your knee, have symptoms of instability, or you also have cartilage damage.

Don’t Miss: How To Whiten Knees Fast

When To See A Doctor

If you are experiencing chronic pain or pain more associated with serious injury, see your doctor promptly. Not addressing your pain properly can lead to increased pain, joint damage, and disability. Depending on the cause of your knee pain, your doctor may suggest the following treatments:

  • Medications: Your doctor may prescribe medications to help relieve pain in the back of the knee and swelling and treat underlying conditions like arthritis.
  • Physical therapy: Your doctor may prescribe stretching exercises or a physical therapy/rehabilitation program to help you restore range of motion, strength and stability to your knee.
  • Injections: In some situations, your doctor may suggest injecting medications and other substances directly into the knee joint in order to reduce inflammation, lubricate the knee and promote healing.
  • Surgery: If conservative measures do not provide relief, your doctor may recommend surgical options.

Techniques For Good Posture:

Can Knee Pain Cause Low Back Pain?

When sitting:

  • Sit in a firm chair with armrests to relieve pressure in your back and shoulders.
  • Keep your upper back straight and shoulders relaxed. Keep stomach muscles pulled in, and maintain the proper curve in your lower back. You can do this by tightening your stomach and buttocks. Some people are more comfortable sitting with the back of the chair at a 15- to 20-degree angle. A small cushion behind the lower back to maintain the natural curve of the back also can be quite helpful.
  • Keep your knees slightly higher than your hips.
  • Use a footstool or book under your feet if necessary.
  • Keep your feet flat on the floor or other surface.
  • Don’t sit for a long period of time. Stand up every now and then to stretch tight muscles and give them a chance to relax.

When standing:

  • Stand with weight equal on both feet.
  • Avoid locking your knees.
  • Ease tension in your back by placing one foot on a footstool.
  • If you stand for long periods of time, wear flat or low-heeled shoes.
  • Keep your back straight by tightening your stomach muscles and buttocks.
  • When sleeping,

Lie on your side with your knees bent.

  • If more comfortable, place a pillow between your knees while sleeping on your side.
  • If you sleep on your back, ask your doctor or physical therapist if placing pillows under your knees would help your lower back pain or make it worse.
  • Use a firm mattress.

Also Check: Flying After Knee Replacement Surgery

Radiographic Assessment Of Knee Oa

Fixed flexion knee radiographs for assessment of the each tibiofemoral joint was obtained at the enrollment visit for each participant using a Synaflexor. Knee radiographs were interpreted by readers at the OAI Clinical Centers who were specifically trained to assess the baseline fixed flexion knee radiographs using a classification based on the OARSI atlas grading system . A simulated Kellgren-Lawrence grade was used for assessment of joint space narrowing and osteophytosis.

How Do I Know If My Knee Injury Is Serious

You can treat knee pain with various home remedies, like over-the-counter medications , numbing cremes, heat packs, ice therapy or compressions. If youre experiencing persistent pain and swelling that isnt going away, it may be time to see an orthopaedic doctor with experience in pain management.

Your knee pain may be mild or severe depending on its cause. However, symptoms like significant swelling, deformity of your knee, severe pain or fever should never be ignored and more than likely require prompt medical intervention.

Read Also: Whiten Knees Fast

How Are The Lower Back And Knee Pain Connected

Your back houses the nerves that drive the muscles around the knees. Hence, a problem with a nerve in your back can impact how those muscles work. Low-level nerve irritation usually isnt noticed by patients as back or leg pain. It just causes the muscles to misfire, destroying the otherwise needed protection for the knee joint.

Given the importance of nailing down the actual source of your pain, you need to know the 3 signs that it could be your back causing your knee pain.

How To Tell The Difference

How Your Shoes Can Cause Knee Or Back Pain

If you have leg pain without significant back pain, it can be hard to tell if the problem is your back or your hip. Vinita Mathew, MD, FAAPMR, is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Northwestern Medicine Integrated Spine Center. Here, Dr. Mathew explains what to look for and what to expect if you see your physician for leg pain.

Don’t Miss: Inversion Table After Hip Replacement

What Is The Best Way To Sit

Sit in chairs with straight backs or low back support. Keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Adjust the seat or use a low stool to prop your feet on. Turn by moving your whole body rather than by twisting at your waist.

When driving, sit straight and move the seat forward. This helps you not lean forward to reach the controls. You may want to put a small pillow or rolled towel behind your lower back if you must drive or sit for a long time.

Signs That Your Hip Is The Source Of Your Pain

One of the biggest signs that your pain is caused by a problem in your hip is the presence of groin pain. Your hip joint is located behind the groin, thats why groin pain usually means the hip is the root cause of pain. In some cases, this groin pain will radiate downward toward your knee.

Another obvious sign that your hip is the source of your pain is pain around or over the hip joint. However, hip problems can also refer pain to your low back, contributing to the confusion over where the true source of the pain is located.

Hip-related pain is most often caused by osteoarthritis in the hip. In addition to groin pain, people who have osteoarthritis in their hip joint often report pain in their buttock, front of thighs, and knees. They may also limp when they walk and report reduced range of motion in their hips, pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest, and discomfort that begins as occasional but becomes more regular.

While osteoarthritis is the most common cause, hip pain may also derive from piriformis syndrome, avascular necrosis in the hip, and/or sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

  • Piriformis syndrome causes dull, mild pain in the low back and buttocks and can cause pain radiating down the legor sciatica.
  • On the other hand, the hip pain associated with avascular necrosis is severe and constant.
  • might be attributed to both the hip and the low back, as the sacroiliac joints connect the sacrum in spine to the hip bones.

Read Also: Ginger Poultice For Knee Pain

You Have Bunions Forming On Your Feet

It may be surprising to hear that bunions on your feet and your spine can affect each other. You may be wondering how these two can be connected and how they have an impact on your knees.

Bunions or bone spurs may grow on your feet if you have a back problem. The L5 and S1 spinal nerves travel to the muscles stabilizing inside and outside of your feet. If these nerves become injured, the muscles will be weakened and unable to perform effectively. You wouldnt be able to walk, run, or stand as you normally would.

Once this happens, your feet will roll towards the inside and the arches will flatten out to support your weight with the inner edge of your feet. Foot pronation occurs when the main tendon continues to stay misaligned and keeps the joint of the big toes tilted unnaturally, creating pressure in the joint where bunions can form.

The strain of moving this way tends to cause back pain. When the back and feet areas are weakened, the knee joints have to work harder and wear out faster, causing knee pain.

Chronic Knee And Back Pain

Can Knee Problems Cause Back Pain

As we have seen in research studies, an unacceptably high percentage of patients suffer from chronic pain, and it is important to understand that pain is not necessarily the problem but a symptom of a problem. Failure to identify the cause of pain could lead to unnecessary knee replacements that do not really address the causes of pain.

Given the importance of nailing down the actual source of the pain, you need to know if it stems from your back. If you have acute or chronic knee pain, look for other pain or discomfort that accompanies it. The affected areas may seem completely independent, but they can trigger mutually, causing pain that only leads to the muscles failing and destroying the otherwise necessary protection of the knees and joints.

Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Knee Fat And Cellulite

You Experience Knee Pain Accompanied By Back Pain

If youre experiencing knee pain either as a one-off occurrence or an ongoing problem, take the time to think about whether youre experiencing pain anywhere else in your body. Even if the two seem unrelated, its worth noting the pain and discussing it with your spinal specialist.

Back pain causing knee pain is more common in people who sit a lot, so if you work a desk job or spend a lot of time in your car or on planes, its worth investigating. Remember, the back pain may not seem as severe as the knee pain it may even just feel like tight muscles.

Can A Herniated Disc Cause Sciatica In The Hip

These may cause disc herniation and by extension, pain. If the herniated disc presses against the sciatic nerve, the longest and widest nerve in the body, sciatica results. Herniated disc back pain and herniated disc hip pain can sometimes be confused. This is due to the connection between the spine and the pelvis.

Also Check: Where To Get Knee High Converse

Signs Your Knee Pain Comes From Your Spine

Unless you have suffered a traumatic injury to your knees, the knee pain you feel is not an inflammation or a problem with your joints. Most likely, the discomfort in your knees is a symptom of the underlying cause and theres a good chance your spine is the real culprit.

Here are four signs that can help you determine if your knee pain is a sign of a spinal condition:

Back Pain Caused By Arthritis In The Knee

Can Your Back Be Causing Your Knee Pain? — Dr Mandell

According to the book “Joint Structure and Function: A Comprehensive Analysis,” arthritis can lead to several symptoms that affect the rest of the body, mostly compensatory in nature 1. Back pain is likely the result of a domino effect from the individual favoring the non-affected knee.

If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.

Also Check: Dcf Compression Knee Sleeve

How Can A Bad Back Cause Knee Pain

So why can back issues cause knee pain? At first glance, they’re not related. Your back isn’t connected directly to your knees, after all.

A large part of the relationship between your back and your knees is how you hold yourself and how you walk. Everything from low back pain to tension in your shoulders can affect how you stand and walk. For example, If you’re trying to compensate for a herniated disc or chronic pain in your spine, you’ll start to walk differently in an attempt to relieve the pain. This is a common cause of joint pain in your knees, as you put more pressure on the ligaments and meniscus there. Additionally, even if you arent experiencing pain in your back, you may have problems with tightness or flexibility in your neck, back, hips, or upper legs, with all can contribute to posture problems and gait problems. Without the support usually offered by your back and spine when it is strong, with optimal flexibility and posture, your knees are left to do all the work. Unfortunately, that’s not what they’re made for.

When both are perfectly healthy, your back and knees work together to help you move. Your knee joint allows you range of motion. Your back helps keep you stable and absorbs some of the shock from your movements. When both are pain-free, and moving healthily, they support each other so they can both do their jobs easily.

Hot And Cold Treatments

Many people have found that hot and cold treatments help relieve back pain. You might try both to find out which works better for you. Heat relaxes muscles and soothes painful areas. There are many ways to apply heat. Some people like hot showers or baths, while others prefer using heat lamps, heating pads or warm compresses. If you have arthritis, heating your muscles first might make it easier for you to do back exercises. Be sure not to fall asleep while using heat. Cold has a numbing effect. This often helps relieve pain. You might try one of these methods for applying cold:

  • an ice bag
  • a large ice cube used to massage the area
  • a frozen package of vegetables
  • a commercially made cold pack.
  • Be sure not to leave ice on after the skin becomes numb. This could lead to localized frostbite. Do not use cold if you are especially sensitive to it or
  • have decreased circulation or sensation. Read the pain management article for more information about heat and cold.

Don’t Miss: Inversion Table For Knee Pain

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

The anterior cruciate ligament is a band of tissue that runs through the front of your knee joint. It connects your thighbone to your shinbone and helps stabilize and provide movement to your knee.

Most ACL injuries happen when you slow down, stop, or change direction suddenly while running. You can also strain or tear this ligament if you land a jump wrong, or you get hit in a contact sport like football.

You might feel a pop when the injury happens. Afterward, your knee will hurt and swell up. You might have trouble fully moving your knee and feel pain when you walk.

Rest and physical therapy can help an ACL strain heal. If the ligament is torn, youll often need surgery to fix it. Heres what to expect during ACL reconstruction.

How Would Sciatica Feel

What causes sharp pain behind knee? How can it be managed ...

Sciatica is the condition that occurs when this nerve is compressed or irritated. It often begins as back pain that shoots discomfort down to your leg and knee. This may also cause the discomfort to radiate down the hips, the outer side of the leg, and the other body parts connected to these areas.

Low-level nerve irritation may not always be felt as back or leg pain, however. The pinched nerves can also cause your muscles to misfire and destroy the protection your knee joints need, triggering discomfort. The pain may also manifest as tingling or numbness in the legs and feet. Although sciatica is common and treatable, it can be quite debilitating in severe cases.

Don’t Miss: How Much Does Aflac Pay For Outpatient Surgery

Leg Pain From Hip Disorders

When the hip is affected, you may have groin pain on the affected side, reduced range of motion of the hip, thigh pain, knee pain, or buttocks pain. The pain usually does not go down below the knee, and there is no associated numbness or tingling. You may feel more pain when walking or standing, and the pain improves with rest. You may sense a limited range of motion when trying to get out of the car, chair or bed. Occasionally, pain in the hip could be secondary to inflammation of a hip bursa. This can happen if you have tight hip abductor muscles, difference in leg length or hip arthritis. Hip pain can also be caused by something more serious but less common, like fractures, tumors, infection or avascular necrosis.

RELATED ARTICLES

Popular Articles