A knee pain can be addressed by acupuncture. Some knee issues respond really well to acupuncture, and some, unfortunately, require surgical interventions.There are many different kinds of knee pain. This is due to the intricate structures of ligaments, tendons, and muscles that comprise the knee joint.
In this article, I would like to focus on the type of knee pain that responds to acupuncture very well: quadriceps tendonitis. https://www.knee-pain-explained.com/quadriceps-tendonitis.html
The tendon of quadriceps femoris is anchored on the top side of the knee cap. The main function of this large muscle (Which actually consists of four individual muscles) is to straighten the leg. As a secondary function, it flexes the thigh, bringing it closer to the abdomen.
As quadriceps femoris contracts, it pulls the tendon and the knee cap upward, and the movement extends the leg. As the most voluminous muscles of the human body, it is often abused, but as long as the rate of tissue damage of quadriceps femoris tendon is equal to that of the self-repair, we are in a good shape.
When the abuse of this muscle and its tendon is excessive as a result of sports, trauma, natural wear and tear, etc., the rate of the tissue damage becomes faster than that of self-repair. Consequently, the tendon initiates an inflammatory response and causes pain and swelling (so that we don’t cause any additional damage).
The painful area is usually near the top side of the knee cap. You may notice stiffness of the knee joint or the pain on the top side of the knee cap when going up or down the stairs or bending the knee.Typically, this condition is resolved within several weeks. R.I.C.E is recommended to alleviate the pain. https://www.healthline.com/health/quadriceps-tendonitis#treatment
From my experience, I have noticed that acupuncture often shortens the recovery time. During a typical treatment for this quadriceps tendonitis, pecking technique is used to relax quadriceps femoris muscle and its tendon in order to alleviate the pain and improve the range of motions of the knee joint.
If the knee joint makes clicking sounds, it is severely swollen. And, if it feels like something in the knee joint is hindering movements of the knee, please seek medical attention immediately. There may be structural damage that acupuncture is unable to fix.
*individual results may vary.
