How Osteopathy can help if you’re weak at the knees
As the largest joint in the body, the knee is a major weight-bearer and one of the most frequently injured joints in the human body.
A hinge joint that lies between the thighbone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia), the knee is made up of the kneecap (patella), tendons, ligaments and cartilage.
Damage, strain or sprain to any part of the knee joint can cause symptoms. This might be down to a sudden injury or through repeated and ongoing strain placed on an area of the knee. Whatever the cause, knee pain can be painful and debilitating and can lead to additional stress being placed on other joints such as the hip. Equally, knee pain can, in fact, be referred pain from the hip or even the back.
Common symptoms in the knee include pain, stiffness, aching, locking, swelling, limping and difficulty fully straightening or bending the knee.
How Osteopathy can help with knee issues
An Osteopath will start by taking a full medical history, reviewing your symptoms and conducting a physical examination to include your feet, ankles, knees, hips, pelvis and back. This full picture will then be used to decide on the most appropriate treatment plan.
This might include manual manipulation of the joints, massage and stretching. You may also be given exercise and stretching advice to follow at home and potentially some tips and guidance around postural or lifestyle changes. The aim is to improve joint mobility, stretch muscles, decrease inflammation, facilitate healing and rebalance the mechanics of your body.
Why use Denise Callaghan?
Denise is a fully qualified Osteopath with over 25 years’ experience and she uses a variety of techniques depending on the needs of the patient:
Direct Soft Tissue Techniques
The soft tissues treated directly by Osteopaths are the muscles, ligaments, fascia and tendons, which attach to and cover the skeleton. Soft tissues can be affected by postural strain, injury or disease. Denise Callaghan uses a sense of palpation to determine the condition of the soft tissues and to diagnose exactly which structures are involved. The techniques involved may feel like a general massage, but only those tissues that need treatment are handled. Soft tissue can be carried out manually, by G5, electrical differential therapy and/or faradism. Denise Callaghan is fully qualified in all these areas and has extensive experience in each.
This involves the gentle and sometimes deep movement of joints, to improve their mobility.
A form of manipulation where Denise applies a high velocity and low amplitude thrust to restore specific joint motion. The technique aims to regain the joint’s normal range of motion and re-set neural reflexes. The procedure reduces the physical signs of somatic dysfunction; tissue changes, asymmetry, restriction of motion and tenderness.
Muscle Energy Technique
The patient is directed to use their muscles from a precise position and in a specific direction against a counterforce applied by Denise. The purpose is to restore motion, decrease muscle/tissue changes and modify asymmetry of somatic dysfunction.
A manual procedure where the patient is moved passively away from the restricted motion barrier, towards the position of greatest comfort. At this point, passive, asymptomatic strain is induced. This technique is used for relief of somatic dysfunctions that are too acute or too delicate to treat with other procedures.
Acupuncture and the treatment of pain
Early in her career, Denise decided that Acupuncture could be a perfect accompaniment to her Osteopathic training and she took a course in Medical Acupuncture at the Centre for Study in Complementary Medicine in Southampton.
She followed this up with a 3-year course in Traditional Chinese Medical Acupuncture at the British College of Acupuncture before travelling to China and studying alongside the best in the field to perfect her technique. Denise now uses acupuncture in combination with Osteopathy and has treated patients with a range of conditions from pain to addiction.
Plaudits for Denise
Countless patients have testified to the benefits of Denise’s treatment. Here’s what two happy customers had to say about her help with their knee problems:
“I sustained a bad knee ligament injury whilst skiing. The acupuncture treatment reduced the swelling dramatically. Then future treatment exercise has hastened my recovery. I would not have been so mobile so quickly without my treatment with Denise,” Kath Jones
“Thanks Denise – my knees are finally back to normal and I can return to playing football. I highly recommend Osteopathy if you are suffering from any sports injuries-both the Osteopathy and Acupuncture has really helped me out!” Mark Bates