I’ve long found knee pain to be one of the most satisfying conditions to treat in clinic. This is because, regardless of the cause of the knee pain (e.g. arthritis, runner’s knee, jumper’s knee, etc.) people tend to respond consistently and predictably to treatments. In most cases, people are out of pain, or experiencing dramatically reduced pain, within about 4-6 treatments. I’ve seen too many people struggle with knee pain and resort to harsh, harmful, or even addictive pain medications in order to maintain their active lifestyle.

But there is a better way!

Leave the pills behind and address the underlying cause of your pain. Acupuncture is recognized by the World Health Organization for its ability to treat knee pain. In most cases acupuncture can help alleviate both the symptom of pain and address underlying cause of the pain by stimulating the body’s innate healing pathways. In my acupuncture practice, I incorporate a broad array of tools and techniques in addition to traditional acupuncture, including Electro-Acupuncture, Cold Laser Therapy, Cupping, traditional Gua Sha (or modern self-heating muscle scrapers), etc. These can be combined in a variety of ways depending on the condition being treated and the constitution of the individual patient. This wide array of treatment options gives us the flexibility to tailor treatments to your body and the specific causes of your knee pain.

Treatment Options:

• Acupuncture: Hair-thin needles are inserted into various tissues to stimulate the release of endorphins that help alleviate pain, stem cells that assist in healing, release tight muscles, and promote blood flow and reduced inflammation. These needles are so thin that most people barely feel them. Generally people feel very relaxed during the treatment and often fall asleep.
• Electro-Acupuncture: This treatment sounds intimidating, but is actually quite soothing. It is similar to a TENS machine (e.g. Dr. Ho’s) except that it leverages the conductive nature of the needles themselves to bypass the skin and deliver the micro-current of electricity directly into the target tissue, in this case the knee joint itself. This allows it to be both more comfortable and more effective, especially in reducing inflammation and alleviating pain. The machine is carefully adjusted to an intensity that is not too strong, but instead, soothing and relaxing.
• Cold Laser Therapy: This is arguably my most exciting tool. It’s a true game changer because it can help alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, improve circulation by stimulating production of nitric oxide, and prevent scar tissue formation. It can even be used immediately following an acute injury or knee surgery when the knee is still too inflamed for most types of treatments. It opens up two exciting treatment options:
  1) It allows us to stimulate acupuncture points WITHOUT using needles (for people who are afraid of needles or who are unusually needle sensitive). It is one of the most effective methods I’ve found for treating joint issues in general, as it it able to penetrate deep into the joint (up to 5 inches beneath the skin!).
  2) It also allows us to create synergistic combo treatments where the acupuncture needles activate your body’s innate healing pathways and then the laser is applied to the tissues and supplies abundant energy directly to your body’s cells, fueling their ability to do that repair work much more quickly!
• Cupping: While these days cupping is often combined with massage therapy (and it’s wonderful, you should try it!), it actually originated alongside acupuncture. Combining cupping with acupuncture is one of the most potent ways of releasing tight muscles and fascia and can even be used to help clear up the superficial inflammation that often surrounds an injured or arthritic knee.

Where to start?

Book an Initial Consultation. During this appointment we will discuss the nature of your knee pain. We will also discuss which of the above treatment options is likely to yield the best results for you. I am here to guide you, make recommendations, and answer any questions you may have, but at the end of the day, you have the final say in what treatments modalities we utilize.