When You Have A Knee Injury, Everyday Activities Become Slow And Difficult.
Your overall health can deteriorate quickly.
The good news is that with the right treatment, 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 your knee pain
Knee Pain Is Often Due To Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS).
It's a big medical word that describes a painful irritation of the cartilage behind your kneecap.
It's a big medical word that describes a painful irritation of the cartilage behind your kneecap.
Although anyone may be affected, it is often the result of overuse of the knee in sports that require jumping or running. Knee pain after running is one of the most common presentations we see. It is sometimes referred to as "Runner's Knee."
PFPS is the most common knee pain cause in the general population. It affects an estimated 25% of adults.
What Causes Knee Pain?
Understanding what causes knee pain is the first step toward lasting relief.
One of the most common causes of PFPS is an imbalance between the muscles that help to guide your kneecap in its V-shaped groove at the end of your thigh bone.
Repeatedly flexing and extending a misaligned kneecap leads to pain, swelling and eventually arthritis.
Misalignment of the kneecap (patella) is often secondary to problems in the hip and foot, especially weakness of your gluteal muscles or flat feet. This is also a contributing factor in inner knee pain and lateral knee pain, where poor alignment places uneven stress on the joint.
What Are The Symptoms Of PFPS?
PFPS produces a dull pain behind the kneecap.
PFPS produces a dull pain behind the kneecap.
It is aggravated by:
- Prolonged walking
- Running
- Squatting
- Jumping
- Stair climbing
- Arising from a seated position
Knee pain when bending or knee pain when squatting are particularly common complaints. The pain is often worse when walking downhill or down stairs. Longstanding misalignment can cause damage to the cartilage, which results in popping, grinding or giving way.
How We Treat Knee Pain
Our chiropractic approach to knee pain treatment focuses on correcting the root cause, not just managing symptoms.
Conservative chiropractic care is generally successful at relieving your symptoms.
Initially, it is important for you to minimize activities that provoke your pain, especially running, jumping and activities that stress you into a "knock-kneed" position. Don't allow your knees to cross in front of your toes when squatting.
Some athletes may need to modify their activity to include swimming or bicycling instead of running.
Performing your home exercises consistently is one of the most important things that you can do to help realign the patella, relieve pain and prevent a recurrence. Targeted exercises for knee pain and stretches for knee pain are a core part of your home care plan. The use of ice packs or ice massage applied around your kneecap for 10 to 15 minutes, several times per day may be helpful. These simple knee pain treatment at home strategies can make a meaningful difference between visits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chiropractic knee pain treatment focuses on correcting the biomechanical imbalances contributing to your symptoms, including hip weakness and foot alignment issues. This approach addresses the root cause rather than only providing temporary relief.
Yes. Home-based exercises for knee pain are a critical part of recovery. Your chiropractor will provide a tailored program of stretches for knee pain and strengthening movements designed to realign the kneecap and reduce irritation over time.
If knee pain after running persists beyond a few days, worsens with activity, or begins affecting your daily movement like stair climbing or squatting, it's time to get it assessed. Early intervention typically leads to faster recovery.
Most patients begin to notice improvement within a few visits, though the timeline depends on how long the condition has been present and how consistently home exercises are performed. Acute cases often respond faster, while longstanding misalignment may take several weeks of consistent care to resolve fully.
