Dooley Noted: 3/29/2016
Recently, I’ve had an influx of patients with knee pain.
Many of the cases showed pain to vanish right in front of them – when they stopped using the knee as a prime initiator of the painful movement pattern.
They tend to stand in awe, curious as to how their pain vanished so quickly.
I ask them to open my clinic door.
100% of the time, they use the door handle.
I explain that the knee is a modified hinge joint, designed mostly to move in one plane.
I also explain that the hip joint, situated directly above the knee, uses the same femur (thigh bone) as the knee to carry out its movements.
The hip is a ball and socket joint, with three axes of movement available to it.
Using the knee to initiate movement in exchange for the triplanar hip joint or multi-planar ankle joint is like trying to open a door at its hinge.
The door is not designed to move first at its hinge – just like the lower extremity.
To prevent you from damaging your own structures, the knee is anatomically loaded with fluid filled, pain-producing sacs to limit your range.
Should you choose to open your door at its hinges, pain may arise.
Your body may need to relearn how to open the door by the handle again.
If you are in knee pain, don’t blame the structure first.
Get to a movement specialist.
Be sure you are properly using your door handles (i.e., the foot and hips) instead of overusing the hinges to start movements.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley
