What is Pes Anserine Bursitis?
Pes anserine bursitis is inflammation of the bursa on the inside of the knee just below the knee joint. A bursa is a thin, lubricated cushion that lies between bone and surrounding soft tissue such as muscles, ligaments and tendons. Its purpose is to limit friction between the bone and the surrounding tissue.
Because these 3 tendons splay out on the anterior aspect of the tibia and give the appearance of the foot of a goose, pes anserine bursitis is also known as goosefoot bursitis.
Signs and Symptoms
- Decreased muscle strength
- Gait deviations
- Decreased function
- Decreased ROM
- Postural dysfunction/impaired lower extremity biomechanics
- Knee Pain
- Knee edema
Individuals at Risk for Pes Anserine Bursitis
In certain individuals, this bursa can become irritated and inflamed. This can occur in any person, but is more common in active individuals such as runners, cyclists, and triathletes. For the running athlete, this might mean a sudden increase in training intensity or training conditions, such as running hills or stairs. Just increasing mileage too quickly may also be a trigger. Hiking over uneven terrain might be a cause, or pushing a lawn mower around a hilly yard. Pes anserine bursitis is most commonly felt as pain on the inside front of the knee that worsens with activity.
Chiropractic and Pes Anserine Bursitis
Many individuals who develop pes anserine bursitis try to treat it themselves with ice and rest. Although this may minimize the discomfort temporarily it usually does not resolve the problem. Most cases require specialized soft tissue techniques to properly mobilize the soft tissue.
In addition, it is critical for resolution to make sure that femur, patella, tibia and fibula are all aligned well and functioning properly. These misalignments can cause continual irritation to the bursa until they are corrected.
In addition, specific stretches aimed at the hamstring along with specific strengthening exercises for the quadriceps can help with the resolution, treatment, and prevention of pes anserine bursitis.
The goal is to:
- Decrease your pain
- Increase your ROM
- Increase your muscle strength
- Improve your gait quality and efficiency
- Maximize your return to pre-injury activities
- Improve your lower extremity biomechanics
- Maintain your improvement as well as prevent a re-injury with a home exercise program. For example, we will consider what may have caused the injury and to correct the problem. It may be something as simple as having tight hamstring muscles and in which case these should be stretched regularly.
Treatment for Pes Anserine Bursitis in Augusta GA
As chiropractors in Augusta GA that specialize in customized care, we have helped many patients suffering from sports injuries, such as pes anserine bursitis. Pes anserine bursitis is a condition that can be treated well with a properly trained doctor of chiropractic, especially one that regularly treats athletes. We are also one of the few Augusta GA Chiropractors that can provide FDA-approved Cold Laser Therapy. We utilize Cold laser therapy also over the bursa to decrease the inflammation and promote proper healing. It is extremely rare for it not to resolve with the proper conservative management and only in a very small percentage of individuals does it require more invasive treatments such as surgery.
You can schedule a complimentary consultation with our office to find out if our customized treatments are the right fit for your condition.
The Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic Blog is written by Dr. Mark Huntsman.
Augusta GA Chiropractors Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic provides customized care. Visit our main website at www.georgia-clinic.com for a chiropractor in Augusta GA and a chiropractor in Evans GA that provides customized treatments..
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