Osteopath for Knee Pain

If you currently suffer from knee pain (that is either new or that you have had for a long period of time) then you might consider visiting an osteopath. Knee pain is a common problem seen by osteopaths the world over but it can have a number of different causes and can present in a number of different ways. This means that your knee pain may have completely different symptoms from your friends so your osteopathic treatment would consequently be different as well. Knee pain may also form part of your symptoms if you suffer from fibromyalgia.

Common Causes of Knee Pain

Knee pain has a wide range of causes and is increasing in its occurrence due to the fact that we are all living longer. It is an especially common problem for runners and breaststroke swimmers who place additionally strain on their knees.


If you suffer from arthritis it is possible that this illness is also the cause of your knee pain. Your osteopath may diagnose arthritis as the cause of your knee pain even f you have never had any other arthritic symptom. If this is the case, it will probably be due to osteoarthritis (otherwise known as wear-and-tear arthritis). This type of arthritis is predominantly found in people of 50 years old and occurs due to the gradual erosion of the cartilage in the knee joint. Arthritis is characterised by inflammation around the joint and can cause a feeling that the joint is about to give up, stiffness, pain and a reduced range of motion.

Knee pain can also be caused by injury to the ligaments, tendons (most of the patellar tendon) or cartilage in the knee joint or from a dislocated knee cap. These injuries are found in a wide age range of patients as they can be caused by either degeneration due to old age or during athletic strain. There are also a number of other causes of knee pain such as baker’s cyst (where swelling occurs in the back of the knee due to another problem), chondromalacia, bursitis and a number of diseases.

Adolescents can occasionally experience knee pain due to problems with the growth plate (known as Osgood-Schlatter disease) that occur when their tendons and muscles put large amounts of strain on the growth plate. However, knee pain in adolescents can occasionally be caused by the growth of bone around the knee (known as osteochondritis dissecans) and this condition can require surgery to remove the defects.

Diagnosis and Osteopathic Treatment for Knee Pain

Your osteopath will diagnose the cause of your knee pain (if you don’t already know it). This is an important step as it may alter the subsequent treatment that you require. Injuries to the ligaments, tendons or cartilage will all be treated in a slightly different manner as they will require different areas of soft tissue stimulation and loosening. In general, manipulation of the soft tissue will be carried out so that your muscle, ligament or tendon that is causing you problems is stretched and loosened and the surrounding soft tissue is strengthened in order to add support whilst your problem area heals. Osteopathic treatment will also act to realign any hard tissue (such as your knee cap or bones of the legs) so that any pain caused by a dislocated knee cap can be relieved.

If your knee pain is due to arthritis then it is possible that you will already be taking anti-inflammatory medication as prescribed by your doctor. If, however, the diagnosis of arthritis is made by your osteopath, you may wish to book an appointment to see your GP to discuss this will them.

If you are overweight you will be putting extra strain on your knee joints so it is possible that your osteopath will advise you to lose some weight in order to relieve some of the strain on your joints and thus reduce any pain that you have when weight bearing on your knees.

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