Could my knee pain be caused by my gallbladder?

Knee pain, problems and injuries make up a significant part of the cases we see in the clinic these days. Arthroscopes and knee replacements are some of the most common surgeries performed today. Yet in many ways, our current lifestyle is less active and gentler on our knees than ever before, so why so many knee problems?

There is no question that there are many contributing factors, but one that we have found to be important in a large percentage of the cases we see in the clinic is a hidden underlying reason … a connection between gallbladder function and a important muscle in the knee called the popliteal.

It seems unlikely at first, but the gallbladder and popliteal muscle are connected by the gallbladder acupuncture meridian. This connection has been scientifically confirmed by muscle testing using Applied Kinesiology, a form of chiropractic.

When the gallbladder is under stress or not working properly, it causes the popliteal muscle to “shut down” or become neurologically inhibited. This means that the muscle is not firing properly and is only a fraction of its normal strength.

The resulting weakness has a devastating effect on the stability of the knee joint. The popliteal is a small muscle at the back of the knee that is involved in the “screwing” mechanism of the knee. This is the small amount of rotation (only 5 degrees) that occurs when we fully straighten the knee, allowing us to “lock” the joint. When the popliteal is not working properly, it actually destabilizes the entire knee joint.

This muscle weakness affects both knees, but most commonly manifests as symptoms in one knee … usually the dominant or most used knee. It can cause knee pain in all positions, but one of the most classic signs is knee pain, which is worse going down stairs than going up (or worse downhill than uphill). Pain is most often felt below the kneecap, although the responsible muscle is at the back of the knee. Another sign of this problem is that the muscle will often be very tender if you press behind the center of the knee.

So what causes stress on the gallbladder that “turns off” the popliteal muscle?

Well, the function of the gallbladder is to store and concentrate bile, which is then expelled into the intestines to help break down the fats that we have ingested. This means that if we eat a diet rich in fat, the gallbladder has to work harder to perform its function.

This is why someone’s knee can feel “up and down”, or better one day and then worse the next. People are often confused by the fact that how their knee feels doesn’t seem to relate to their activity level … in fact, it depends more on what they ate that day.

The gallbladder also has a role to play in detoxification, as all of the fat-soluble toxins in the body are broken down by the liver and excreted in the bile. This means that if the body is particularly toxic, the gallbladder can be stressed again, causing the knee problem to reappear.

Unfortunately, a high-fat diet and a toxic environment is a very common combination of factors in our western society … perhaps the reason we are seeing more and more knee problems?

If you have a recurring knee problem, have it checked out by a chiropractor who practices applied kinesiology … you may find the hidden reason it keeps coming back!