KNEE PAIN:
Knee pain often comes from excessive forces being placed on the knee joints, so one of the main goals is to distribute those forces to other safe areas, like the muscles above the knees (in the thighs), the gluts, and the core. Learning how to move in a slightly different way when you go to get up from a chair or the floor, or how you squat to lift, or how you climb steps can often make an immediate difference in decreasing the pain and feeling stronger. The knee actually has 2 joints: one is formed from the thigh bone lining up with the lower leg bone and the second joint is the kneecap (patella) aligning with the thigh bone. Sometimes these joints aren’t in alignment so we can use manual techniques, taping, and specific exercises to align the joint and minimize bad friction forces.
ANKLE PAIN:
Most ankle injuries are sprains, and most ankle sprains occur from an over-stretching of the ligaments in the front/ side of the ankle after the foot moves too much into an inward position (the outside of the foot falls toward the ground on an uneven surface or with excessive force). The problem is now the ligaments are overstretched, and ligaments act to limit motion, so a sprained ankle is not stable. Unfortunately, it feels tight and people stretch the ankle, but this is not the appropriate action. First, you must regain strength and stability and you must align the joint to re-train the proper ankle position. The muscles which support the ankle were either weak prior to the injury and/ or they became inhibited from the trauma of the accident. So ensuring the appropriate muscles are working will begin to stabilize the ankle. Manual facilitative techniques are used initially to awaken the muscles’ potential, and are used in conjunction with taping, strengthening, balance and proprioceptive exercises, and anti-inflammatory agents as needed. Once the stability of the ankle is achieved, flexibility will follow because a full-range of motion will be safe at that point. Then the person is ready for advanced exercises to return him/her to the desired sport or activity she loves.