Do you have a sore knee joint and don’t know what to do about it?  Try acupuncture for knee pain with our team at Nottinghill!

There are a number of sources of knee pain including ligament sprains, meniscus tears, muscle imbalances and osteoarthritis.  Knee pain is a common complaint that affects people of all ages from athletes to older adults.  There are many options for the treatment knee pain, but acupuncture is one option thats gaining increased popularity!  Acupuncture for knee pain involves inserting thin needles into specific points in the body to help stimulate healing.  Whether the root of the problem is arthritis, trauma, chronic overuse or stubborn inflammation acupuncture can provide significant relief!

Acupuncture Treatment For Knee Pain

Acupuncture is rooted in ancient Chinese medicine, but Dr.Jenn has been trained in a contemporary westernized approach to acupuncture for muscle and joint pain!  Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles along specific points in the body.  These points are along pathways, called ‘meridians’, that perfectly map out the route of big nerves in our body.  By placing needles along the path of these nerves, it stimulates a healing response to those direct points, and anywhere that nerve travels beyond that point.  Acupuncture has the ability to relax tight muscles, trigger the release of the body’s natural painkillers (endorphins) and boost blood flow to the affected areas.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

The needles used for acupuncture are very fine and sterile and one-time-use.  Inserting the needles into specific acupuncture points stimulates healing in multiple ways:

1. Nerve Stimulation:  The needles can stimulate both sensory and motor nerves.  The stimulation sends a signal to the brain and spinal cord, which helps stimulate the body’s natural pain killers – endorphins!
2. Improved Blood Flow:  Inserting needles can increase blood circulation to targeted areas, helping to reduce inflammation and promote tissue healing – which is especially useful for conditions like knee pain!
3. Muscle Relaxation:  Acupuncture can help reduce muscle tension and promote relaxation which may relieve pressure on joints and reduce associated discomfort
4. Regulation of Nervous System:  Acupuncture can help regulate the autonomic nervous system, reducing stress and supporting the body’s natural recovery processes.

Acupuncture For Knee Ligament Pain

Knee ligament sprains – such an injuries to the ACL, MCL, LCL – are common among athletes and active individuals, often resulting from sudden twists, impacts, or overstitching of the joint. These injuries can lead to significant pain, swelling, stiffness and reduced mobility, making daily activities or sports performance difficult.  When a ligament is sprained, surrounding tissues often become tight or inflamed as the body tried to protect the inured area.

Acupuncture helps by improving blood flow to the join which delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for repair while flushing out inflammatory byproducts.  Acupuncture will help to reduce swelling and stiffness in the knee.  Acupuncture for the knee will help to calm over-active pain signals via the release of endorphins.  Patients often reports a significant reduction in knee pain after just a few sessions.  Whether you’re dealing with a mild sprain or recovering from a more serious ligament injury, acupuncture can be an extremely effective part of a treatment plan!

Acupuncture for Meniscus Pain and Meniscus Tears

A meniscus tear is another common knee injury, especially among athletes and those who engage in repetitive knee movements.  Meniscus pain and tears occur when the cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the knee joint- the meniscus – is torn due to trauma or degeneration.  Symptoms can include pain, swelling, clicking/locking of the knee and difficulty with weight-bearing.  The meniscus is a structure with extremely poor blood flow. This means that healing the meniscus can be difficult.

Acupuncture will improve blood flow to the knee which will reduce swelling.  Acupuncture will relax the surrounding musculature which are often tight due to overcompensation in effort to manage the pain.  While acupuncture will not ‘repair’ a torn meniscus, it can play a very powerful role in managing symptoms and promoting a faster recovery.

Acupuncture for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), often referred to as ‘runner’s knee’, is a common condition that causes pain around the front of the knee and kneecap.  It’s frequently seen in runners, cyclists and active individuals.  Pain typically worsens with activities like squatting climbing stairs or prolonged walking/running.  A classic sign is ‘movie-goers knee’, which is a symptom where pain arises/worsens after being sitting for a long period of time.  This syndrome is caused by a maltracking/misalignment of the patella (knee cap) along the femur (thigh bone)

For PFPS, acupuncture can help relieve muscle tightness around the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip flexors – key contributors to knee cap misalignment and knee pain.  Targeting these areas with acupuncture helps restore proper movement and balance around the knee joint.  Acupuncture treatment for PFPS is customized to include points around the knee, thigh and lower leg to help restore function and alleviate pain!

Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition that results from the gradual breakdown of cartilage in the knee joint.  As the cartilage wears away, bones begin to rub against each other, leading to pain, swelling and reduced mobility.  This condition affects millions of people, especially older adults, and can significantly limited daily activities and decrease quality of life.

Acupuncture for knee pain caused by OA will help to modulate pain signals and reduce the inflammatory response associated with OA.  Regular acupuncture treatments can drastically reduce pain, improve mobility and help to maintain overall function of the knee.  One of the key benefits associated with acupuncture for knee OA is it’s ability to help manage pain without the unpleasant side effects often associated with pain medication.  Acupuncture will not reverse cartilage damage, but it can be an effective part of a treatment plan for managing pain and keeping the knee mobile.

Acupuncture Treatment For Knee Pain

Acupuncture sessions are typically 20-30 minutes long.  The acupuncture needles are inserted into points around the knee, thigh, lower leg and foot depending on the condition being treated.  Our acupuncture team will work with you to find a comfortable position so that you can relax for the duration of the needling.

The acupuncture procedure is painless, and patients often leave a session feeling relaxed.  Many of our patients report having a great sleep the night following appointments.

How Our Oakville Chiropractor Can Help You – 5th November 2018

Sports Chiropractor Oakville – 22nd October 2018

Discover The Capabilities Of Our Oakville Chiropractor Clinic – 8th October 2018

Invest In A Professional Oakville Chiropractor Today – 24th September 2018

Choose Our Professional Acupuncture Oakville – 10th September 2018

Where To Go For The Best Chiropractor In Oakville – 27th August 2018

Solve Those Musculoskeletal Problems With Our Chiropractor Services In Oakville – 13th August 2018

Acupuncture Oakville – 30th July 2018

Choose Our Sports Chiropractors In Oakville – 2nd July 2018

Acupuncture Services Oakville – 18th June 2018

Trust In Our Chiropractor In Oakville – 4th June 2018

Find A Professional Oakville Chiropractor To Help You – 21st May 2o18

Find A Professional Oakville Sports Chiropractor – 7th May 2018

For Professional Acupuncture Oakville – 23rd April 2018

Where To Find A Medical Acupuncture Session In Oakville – 9th April 2018

DOWNLOAD FREE PLANTAR FASCIITIS STRETCHES

If you have been experiencing pain in the bottom of your foot it may be due to plantar fasciitis.  If walking has become painful due to heel pain and you’re living in Oakville, come visit our Oakville chiropractor to get treatment started today! Foot pain, heel pain and ankle pain can usually be treated with less then 10 visits at our Oakville clinic!

Plantar fasciitis is an irritation of the plantar fascia, which is a tissue that runs from your heel, along the arch of your foot, and into all 5 toes.  The plantar fascia helps to absorb shock and support the arch of your foot to help with walking.  Typically this condition presents with pain on the bottom of the foot or heel.  The first few steps in the morning, or after a prolonged period of sitting, can be very painful but our chiropractic clinic in Oakville can help you! 

If your plantar fasciitis is coming from your fallen arches, custom orthotics could be the answer for you!

The sooner you get treatment started, the better.  This condition can become excruciatingly painful, so early intervention will lead to a faster recovery time.  Along with shockwave, soft tissue release and IFC treatment, these exercises can help alleviate pain caused by plantar fasciitis.  This plantar fasciitis treatment can help you get rid of your foot and heel pain and back to doing the activities you love pain-free.  Click here for icing instructions!

Ready to start treatment today?  – Click HERE –

Why should you ice an injury?

If you’ve suffered an injury and noticed signs of swelling, ice can be very helpful. Inflammation is present if the injured area feels painful, is warm to the touch, or appears pink, red, or swollen. Applying ice can help reduce inflammation, particularly in the 48 hours immediately following the injury.

Does ice permanently eliminate inflammation? No. Does it help control swelling and pain in the early stages of an injury? Yes. Ice is also very effective at reducing pain. The cold temperature slows the activity of nerves that transmit pain, helping to alleviate discomfort from a painful injury.”

Learn more about icing an injury here!

Should I Ice After Treatment?

In most cases, yes. At our Oakville Chiropractic and Physiotherapy clinic, we utilize a combination of advanced treatments, including Shockwave Therapy, Scraping, Manual Adjustments, and Trigger Point Therapy. These treatments can stimulate the body’s natural healing process, often leading to temporary inflammation. To manage this, icing the affected area a few times on treatment days is recommended.

Dr. Steve advises patients to apply ice several times on the days they receive treatment and, as a general rule, every evening after work or once the kids are in bed. If you are experiencing acute pain throughout the day, it is beneficial to ice the injured area more frequently, following the 20 minutes on – 20 minutes off – 20 minutes on protocol for optimal relief.

What Should You Use To Ice An Injury?

A store-bought ice pack, ice cubes in a plastic bag or a bag of frozen veggies can all do the job. Anything frozen, just make sure it is wrapped and not placed directly against the skin.

How To Ice

1. Wrap your ice in a thin towel or sheet.
2. Press the cold pack firmly against the skin, or use a wrap to secure the ice pack to the injured area. Applying some compression to the area with the ice can also help reduce inflammation – just be sure you don’t wrap too tightly to cut off circulation.
3. If the area you are icing can be elevated, do it!
4. Ice should be applied for 20 minutes at a time. Smaller areas (ankles, wrists, feet) might only required 10 minutes, whereas a larger area (quads, hamstring) might need 20 minutes!
5. Remove ice, and let skin warm up completely. As a general rule – ice should be removed for at least twice as long as it had been applied before you reapply it.

How Often Should Ice Be Applied?

In the first hours following an injury, we suggest you ice once or twice an hour.  After 48 hours, icing 2-3 times a day should be sufficient.  Additionally, if you do any physical activity or use the injured area it is a good idea to ice after! Always use the 20 minutes on – 20 minutes off – 20 minutes on model. A good rule to follow is that your skin should have time to completely warm up before you start another round of icing.

Severe Low Back Pain–Rescue Position

What Is Ice Therapy Good For?

• New Injuries – tissues that are red, swollen and inflamed benefit from ice to reduce tissue irritation.
• Painful Injuries – ice helps to numb an area and can help temporarily reduce pain and discomfort.
• Re-aggravation of Injury – if you overdid an activity and noticed an increase in pain, icing will help!
  
  More Information on icing HERE

Ice Massage

Ice massage is an alternative to just throwing an ice pack on an injury.  To make an ice cup, fill a small paper or foam cup with water.  Freeze the water until it is solid.  Peel back the rim of the cup and use the exposed ice to rub the injured area. 

When doing an ice massage, work the sore tissue with the ice cup.  Slide the ice along the sore muscles, applying a little bit of pressure to the muscles.  Work the ice in small circles against the injury, peeling back more of the cup as needed.  Initially, it may feel like a burn or ache, but eventually the ice will numb the area.  Keep a small towel nearby to wipe the drips as the ice melts. 

Common Icing Mistakes

Icing is a really helpful tool in managing swollen and/or painful injuries.  However, applying ice to the skin can be harmful if done incorrectly, and therefore it is always important to exercise caution when completing an icing protocol. Find a list of some common icing mistakes below. 

1. Icing For Too Long

If you follow our 20-20-20 model, you will be just fine.  If the ice is left on for too long, it can do more harm than good.  Icing constricts the blood flow, and if you leave the ice on for too long it can actually slow down the healing process.  Inflammation is a part of the healing process, and so completely restricting it is not helpful.  

Following the 20-20-20 model is useful because it gives the injured area a 20 minute window to warm up in between icing sessions.  When ice is applied to an injured area, it constricts the blood vessels and therefore limits the blood to the area.  When the ice is removed, and the skin is allowed to warm up, the blood vessels expand again.  This lets the blood flow return to the area.  The blood flow brings the nutrients and oxygen that helps tissues heal and recover.  Sometimes our bodies go overboard with sending an increase in blood flow to an injured area and therefore controlling it with ice is beneficial.

Never ice while falling asleep. Due to the fact that pain can be relieved with icing, it may be tempting to ice while falling asleep in an effort to feel more comfortable. However, this can lead to forgetting about the ice, and leaving the ice on the skin for too long can lead to skin damage.  

2. Placing Ice Directly Onto Skin

We always recommend a barrier between the ice and the skin.  If ice is left too long, it can reduce circulation so much that it damages the skin and an ice burn can occur.  Ice burn is the result of your skin cells freezing and the ice crystals damaging the structure of the skin cells. 

Some signs of an ice burn are pain, itchiness, redness, numbness, tingling or a change in the skin texture.  A skin burn can make the skin look and feel thicker, waxier and/or more firm.

So what should you do if you get an ice burn?  Stop icing over that area.  You can soak the area in lukewarm water for 20 minutes and repeat this as often as needed.  If the skin blisters, then you can apply dry gauze to help protect the area from outside irritation. 

Book an appointment today!

How To Ice An Injury: Be sure to follow these chiropractor-approved directions from Dr. Steve recommends to prevent your injury from progressing and increasing your pain.

MORE HERE on ICING AN INJURY

Cold therapy with ice is the best immediate treatment for acute injuries because it reduces swelling and pain. Ice induces vasoconstriction by causes the blood vessels to narrow and it limits internal bleeding at the site of the injury.

To ice an injury, wrap ice in a thin towel and place it on the affected area for 20 minutes at a time. Allow the skin temperature to return to normal before icing a second or third time. You can ice an injury several times a day

In pain ? Want to get professional help, call the clinic today 905 827 4197

Pediatric chiropractors — those that are trained to work with children — always adapt the treatment to fit the special needs of their young patients. They also provide highly skilled treatments that are very gentle.

Why Chiropractic Care for Children in Oakville

Children may experience trauma at birth that affects their body. Later childhood activities — like learning to walk, participating in sports or riding a bicycle — can also cause spinal health problems, or make them worse.

Even injuries that appear to be minor — such as a fall off a bicycle — can damage other parts of the body, such as the pelvis, skull, spine and limbs. Chiropractors are uniquely trained to identify problems in these areas.

Chiropractors can also determine whether “growing pains” are signs of more severe health problems. Regular chiropractic care for children may be able to head off problems that many adults experience later in life.

Treating Childhood Conditions with Chiropractic

One of the main types of chiropractic care for children is treating back and neck pain or other issues related to the spine. Chiropractors can check children as young as newborns for problems, especially those related to the health of their spine.

Chiropractors may also be able to help with other childhood conditions, such as:

• Asthma
• Bedwetting
• Chronic ear infections
• Colic
• Difficulty nursing

Types of Chiropractic Treatment for Children

When chiropractors work with children, they provide the same highly skilled treatments that adults receive. They use a hands-on, drug-free approach. Visits include a physical exam, diagnosis and treatment. In the case of children, chiropractors use a very gentle approach, suitable to the age of the child.

Children who already have a regular pediatrician — who provides medications and treats serious illnesses — can also benefit from a pediatric chiropractor. Much of the work that chiropractors do with children is preventative wellness care, such as helping their spine stay healthy as they grow.

Chiropractors are for all ages. Contact your chiropractor or call us direct at 905-827- 4197 to learn more about chiropractic care for your child.

Massage therapy dates back at least to the second century B.C., as it’s described in ancient Chinese texts. Practitioners in India and Egypt developed their own methods of massage. In fact, all over the world, people use their hands and mechanical devices to improve circulation, unknot muscles, reduce pain and generally improve health.

Nonetheless, massage therapy is a large and varied field. For example, the type of massage that’s suitable for an athlete is different than what a hospice patient needs. If you’re considering massage as a method of pain relief, you may need to look around to find the right practitioner for you.

Evidence for Massage in Oakville

The long history of massage is full of anecdotal evidence of its healing power, but there have not been many scientific studies conducted about the topic. A study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2007 reviewed previous research on massage and pain relief, and found the strongest evidence for massage as a way to decrease non-specific lower back pain. Shoulder pain and headaches also responded fairly well to massage.

How does massage relieve pain? In a 2010 study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that massage made people produce lower amounts of hormones responsible for stress and inflammation.

Chronic Pain and Massage in Oakville

Many people with chronic pain turn to massage for relief. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines chronic pain as continuous or recurrent, and persisting for about three months or more. Chronic pain can affect a certain body part, such as your back, or can be tied to a more general all-over condition, such as fibromyalgia.

Arthritis and Massage

After massage, some arthritis sufferers report improvements in range of motion, hand grip strength and joint function as well as decreased pain and finger stiffness. A 2010 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience concluded that moderate to light pressure produced the best results for patients with arthritis.

Massage and Chiropractic in Oakville

Because massage decreases pain in many patients, chiropractors often incorporate massage into the treatment plan. This could be a short massage delivered by the chiropractor along with spinal adjustments. Or, if the patient needs a longer massage or specific techniques outside the chiropractor’s repertoire, the patient might schedule a visit with an outside massage therapist. Nowadays, holistic professionals with different expertise often opt to share space. A chiropractor and massage therapist working together pool their knowledge and optimize their patients’ healing.

If you’d like to see how chiropractic and massage complement each other, call our clinic today  at 905-827-4197. We can help you feel your best.

PDF DOWNLOAD

Leg Stretches: Be sure to follow these chiropractor approved leg exercises and stretches Dr. Steve recommends to keep your legs strong and prevent pain.

Are you experiencing leg pain or discomfort ? If you would like to seek professional help please contact our chiropractic clinic directly at 905-827-4197

Chiropractic Approved Hip Exercises for pain in your Back

Tight hip flexors or psoas muscles can lead to a change in pelvis angle and low back pain. In our modern world we are sitting way too much and not stretching or being physically active nearly enough. Your Psoas muscle is the main hip flexor that could be causing your low back pain

Read More About The Psoas Muscle Here

Be sure to follow these chiropractor approved hip exercises and stretches Dr. Steve recommends to keep your back strong and pain free.

Chiropractic Hip Stretches for Back Pain

Are you experiencing back pain or discomfort ? If you would like to seek professional help please contact our Oakville chiropractors directly at 905-827-4197