Derek Golightly - Massage Therapist

Knee Pain

There are lots of reasons why you might have knee pain. Whatever the cause of the problem, if left too long, a serious problem of wear on the cartilage of the joint can develop. It is much better to sort out the problem while it is still only an irritation.

Sometimes this is just a matter of identifying weak muscles and strengthening them. Sounds easy huh? But this is often the hard part. I often come across people where they've been advised to strengthen their VMO (Vastus Medialis Obliquus), when actually it was something else.

A common cause of the problem is that muscles in the thigh (mainly the Quads) that are in trouble somehow. These put an eccentric load on the knee and so cause the pain. I use various remedial massage  techniques to improve the condition of the muscles, and so relieve the problem.

My approach to this is generally to look at the condition of your muscles, and also to look at your posture. The exact location of the pain in and around the knee can provide a clue as to the cause.
I then devise a plan which may include simple/easy exercises to adjust your posture.

The exercises are best accompanied by remedial massage because this helps you to get to the desired end result more quickly. It is also true that exercise alone won't generally get your muscles to return to their optimum condition.