Leg Adjustments: EP Wellness and Functional Medicine Clinic

The legs are important for standing and motion. Various problems can affect any part, including the bones, tendons, joints, blood vessels, and connective tissues of the entire leg, foot, ankle, knee, or hip. Common problems include unbalanced/unevenness, muscle sprains and strains, joint dislocations, nerve compression, and fractures. These issues can benefit from chiropractic leg adjustments to relieve the symptoms, realign the body, restore mobility, strengthen the muscles, and prevent further complications.

Leg Adjustments

The legs are composed of two major sections: upper and lower. The ball-and-socket hip joint connects the upper portion, with only one bone comprising the upper leg, the femur, the largest bone in the body. The lower leg goes from the knee to the ankle and is composed of two bones, the fibula, and the tibia.

• The tibia makes up the knee together with the base of the femur.
• The fibula starts from the knee joint and is connected to the tibia.

Muscles

The leg muscles support standing and sitting, carry the body’s weight, and provide movement. Several muscles in the upper and lower legs work together to enable walking, running, jumping, flexing, and pointing the toes.

Upper Leg

The upper leg muscles support the body’s weight and movement. Their jobs include:

• Anterior muscles: These muscles stabilize the body and help with balance. They also allow:
• Bending and extension of the knees.
• Flexion of the thigh at the hip joints.
• Rotation of the legs at the hips.
• Medial muscles assist in hip adduction – moving the leg toward the body’s center. They also allow flexion, extension, and rotation of the thigh.
• Posterior muscles help move the leg from front to back and rotate at the hip socket.

Lower Leg

• Anterior muscles are in the front/anterior part of the lower leg and help lift and lower the foot and toe extension.
• Lateral muscles run outside the lower leg and stabilize the foot when walking or running. They also allow side-to-side movement.
• Posterior muscles: These muscles are in the back of the lower leg. Some are superficial (close to the skin surface), and some sit deeper inside the leg. They help:
• Flex and point the toes.
• Jump, run and push off.
• Lock and unlock the knee.
• Maintain a healthy posture by stabilizing the legs.
• Stand up straight by supporting the arch of the feet.

Causes

There are different causes of leg discomfort symptoms. Age, work, physical activity, sports, and misalignments can all cause leg issues to develop.

Musculoskeletal

• Musculoskeletal system injuries, conditions, and disorders are related to the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This includes bruising, tendonitis, muscle strain, overuse, and fractures can all lead to musculoskeletal issues.

Neurological

• Neurological symptoms are related to a problem with the nerves and the nervous system. Damaged and pinched nerves can contribute to leg issues.

Vascular

• If there are blood vessel issues, it can also lead to leg symptoms. Depending on the cause, leg symptoms can vary from moderate to severe and may be non-stop or come and go.

Symptoms

Symptoms typically include:

• Muscle weakness.
• Muscle stiffness.
• Muscle tightness.
• A feeling of tiredness and heaviness in the legs.
• Decreased range of motion.
• Difficulty in walking or moving the legs.
• Leg cramps.
• Tenderness.
• Pain that may be dull or sharp.
• Pain that gets worse as time goes on.
• Bruising.
• Swelling.
• Tingling sensations.
• Numbness.
• Complete loss of sensation.
• Edema – fluid retention.
• Physical deformity of the legs.

Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic care is a proven way of reducing swelling and discomfort throughout the body. Chiropractic leg adjustments help release restrictions and misalignments. This results in increased mobility of the joints, decreased inflammation, and improved function. A chiropractic adjustment on the leg is known as a long-axis distraction adjustment. This adjustment is designed to open the affected joint in the direction the chiropractor pulls. They can adjust their contact to open the femur from the acetabulum of the pelvis, the knee joint, the ankle joints, and the low back. This encourages proper joint space and motion in the affected areas, promoting healthy movement and space and allowing more nutrient flow and pressure removal from the surrounding nerves to help with symptom relief.

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Hip Long Axis Distraction

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References

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Young G. Leg cramps. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4429847/) BMJ Clinical Evidence. 2015 May 13;2015:1113. Accessed 12/29/2021.