Knee Injuries Can Make Everyday Activities Become Slow And Difficult.
Life slows right down and your overall health can deteriorate quickly.
The good news is that with the right chiropractic care, you can see major improvements and get free from the pain.
What You Need To Know About Knee Pain
Watch this quick video to gain a better understanding of what's going on.
What's Actually Causing Your Knee Pain?
It's a big medical word that describes a painful irritation of the cartilage behind your kneecap.
The most common culprit is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), a painful irritation of the cartilage behind your kneecap. It affects an estimated 25% of adults, making it the leading cause of knee pain in the general population.
Although anyone can be affected, it's especially common in people who run, jump, or cycle. You may have heard it called "Runner's knee."
What causes knee pain like this? In most cases, it comes down to a muscular imbalance. When the muscles guiding your kneecap are uneven in strength, the kneecap tracks slightly off its groove at the end of the thigh bone. Over time, that repetitive misalignment irritates the cartilage, causing the pain, swelling, and stiffness you feel.
The kneecap misalignment is often connected to problems further up or down the chain. Weak gluteal muscles or flat feet are two of the most common contributors. This is why knee pain so often comes back when it's treated in isolation rather than as part of the full movement system.
What Does It Feel Like?
PFPS produces a dull ache behind the kneecap. It's typically aggravated by:
- Prolonged walking or standing
- Running and knee pain after running
- Squatting or lunging
- Jumping
- Stair climbing
- Getting up from a seated position
The pain often gets worse going downhill or descending stairs. Left untreated, longstanding misalignment can damage the cartilage, leading to grinding, popping, or the knee giving way, which is why early care makes a real difference.
What Are The Symptoms Of PFPS?
Not always. Lateral knee pain (outside of the knee) and inner knee pain (also called medial knee pain) each have their own patterns and causes. Lateral symptoms often involve the IT band or lateral collateral ligament. Medial symptoms frequently point to the MCL, meniscus, or pes anserine region.
The location of your pain matters. A thorough evaluation helps identify exactly what's driving it so the right treatment plan is built for you, not a generic one.
How Do We Treat Knee Pain?
Conservative chiropractic care is generally very successful at relieving knee pain and restoring full function. The approach is targeted, not a one-size-fits-all program.
Initially, it's important to reduce activities that provoke your symptoms, especially running, jumping, and movements that push your knees into a "knock-kneed" position. Avoid letting your knees collapse inward when squatting.
Some athletes temporarily modify their activity, switching to swimming or cycling while the knee recovers, and return to full sport once the underlying issue is corrected.
Exercises for knee pain and stretches for knee pain are a key part of recovery. Consistent home exercises help realign the patella, reduce pain, and prevent recurrence. We'll show you exactly what to do and how to do it correctly. Ice applied around the kneecap for 10 to 15 minutes, several times per day, can help reduce inflammation during the acute phase.
Will It Get Worse If I Wait?
This is the most common question we hear, and the honest answer is: often, yes. The cartilage behind the kneecap doesn't have a strong blood supply, which means it heals slowly and poorly once it's damaged. Catching knee problems early, before cartilage damage sets in, is the single most important factor in recovery time and outcome.
If you've been putting it off, now is the right time to get it looked at.
Frequently Asked Questions
Recovery time varies depending on how long the issue has been present and how consistently you follow your treatment plan. Many patients notice meaningful improvement within a few weeks. Addressing it early, before cartilage damage sets in, shortens recovery significantly.
The most effective exercises for knee pain target the muscles responsible for kneecap tracking: the quadriceps (especially the VMO), glutes, and hip stabilizers. Your treatment plan will include specific home exercises tailored to your pattern of pain. Generic exercises found online often miss the individual muscular imbalance driving the problem.
Yes, and this is more common than most people realize. The knee sits between the hip and the foot, so weakness or dysfunction in either area can alter how your kneecap tracks and loads. Weak glutes, flat feet, and poor ankle mobility are all frequent contributors to knee pain, even when the knee itself looks fine on imaging. A full movement assessment helps identify whether the source of your pain is actually above or below the joint.
