Knee Pain: Common Causes, What Your Symptoms Mean, and How Chiropractic Care May Help
Knee pain can make even simple activities frustrating. Walking downstairs, getting out of a chair, squatting at the gym, or going for a run can suddenly become uncomfortable. Sometimes the pain follows an obvious injury, but other times it develops gradually without a clear explanation.
When your knee hurts, it's easy to assume you've strained a muscle, irritated a tendon, or damaged a ligament. While soft tissue injuries are common causes of knee pain, they're not the only possibilities.
Knee pain can also involve joint stiffness, arthritis, movement restrictions, or changes in how your hips, knees, and ankles work together. In some cases, identifying and addressing these factors may help improve comfort and mobility.
What many people don't realize is that chiropractic care isn't limited to back and neck pain. Chiropractors are also trained to evaluate joints throughout the body, including the knees, hips, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
However, not every chiropractic practice routinely provides extremity-focused care.
At Champagne Chiropractic in Denver, extremity joint assessment and treatment are an important part of Dr. Solomon Champagne's clinical approach. Whether you're dealing with knee pain, ankle stiffness, or shoulder discomfort, Dr. Champagne evaluates how your joints move individually and how they function together.
Why Does My Knee Hurt? Common Causes of Knee Pain
Your knee is a complex joint that relies on bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and surrounding joints to function properly. Pain can develop when one or more of these structures becomes injured, irritated, overloaded, or affected by an underlying condition.
Some common causes of knee pain include:
Tendon irritation or tendinopathy: Often associated with repetitive loading, running, jumping, or changes in activity.
Ligament injuries: Sprains or tears involving structures such as the ACL, MCL, or LCL, sometimes following a twist, fall, or sudden change in direction.
Meniscus injuries: Irritation or damage to the cartilage that helps distribute forces within the knee.
Arthritis: Changes within the joint that may contribute to pain, stiffness, swelling, or reduced mobility.
Patellofemoral pain: Discomfort around or behind the kneecap, often aggravated by stairs, squatting, running, or prolonged sitting.
Joint mobility restrictions: Reduced movement at the knee or neighboring joints that may influence how the lower body functions.
These conditions can overlap, and similar symptoms can have different causes. That's why understanding the location of your pain is helpful, but it doesn't replace a proper examination.
Knee Pain Without an Injury: Could It Be a Movement Problem?
One of the more confusing experiences is developing knee pain when you haven't fallen, twisted your leg, or suffered an obvious injury.
Maybe your knee hurts when you walk, feels stiff after sitting, or becomes uncomfortable during workouts. You can't remember doing anything to injure it, yet the discomfort keeps returning.
Knee pain without a specific injury can have several explanations, including repetitive loading, arthritis, tendon irritation, and changes in physical activity.
Another factor worth evaluating is how your lower body moves.
Your knee doesn't function independently. Every time you walk, run, climb stairs, or squat, your hips, knees, ankles, and feet work together to support and move your body.
If your hip or ankle has limited range of motion, your body may adapt by changing the way other joints move. These compensations can alter how forces are distributed through the knee.
This doesn't necessarily mean that a stiff ankle or hip is causing your knee pain. However, identifying mobility restrictions and movement patterns can provide valuable information when determining an appropriate treatment plan.
At Champagne Chiropractic, examining these relationships is a routine part of evaluating lower-extremity complaints. Dr. Champagne doesn't simply check whether your knee hurts. He looks at how the surrounding joints move and whether restrictions elsewhere may be contributing to the problem.
What Does the Location of Your Knee Pain Mean?
The location of knee pain can offer clues about which structures may be involved.
Pain on the Outside of the Knee
Outer knee pain, also called lateral knee pain, can involve several structures, including the iliotibial band, lateral meniscus, lateral collateral ligament, and proximal tibiofibular joint.
The proximal tibiofibular joint is located where the fibula, the smaller bone of the lower leg, meets the tibia near the outside of the knee.
Although it receives less attention than the main knee joint, this area can sometimes become a source of localized pain or discomfort.
The proximal tibiofibular joint is one of the extremity joints Dr. Champagne evaluates and may adjust when clinically appropriate. Restricted or painful movement around this joint can sometimes contribute to discomfort that resembles symptoms associated with other knee conditions.
Because lateral knee pain can also involve ligament, meniscus, tendon, or nerve-related problems, a thorough examination is important before determining treatment.
Pain on the Inside of the Knee
Inner knee pain, or medial knee pain, may be associated with the medial meniscus, medial collateral ligament, osteoarthritis, or surrounding tendons.
The way your knee moves during walking, squatting, and other activities can help a clinician understand what movements reproduce your symptoms.
At Champagne Chiropractic, Dr. Champagne evaluates knee joint mobility alongside appropriate orthopedic testing to help determine whether joint restrictions, soft tissue involvement, or other factors may be contributing.
Pain Below or Around the Kneecap
Pain around the front of the knee is common among runners, lifters, and people who frequently climb stairs.
Patellofemoral pain and patellar tendinopathy are two possible explanations, although they affect different structures.
Hip strength, knee loading, and movement coordination may be relevant during an examination. Treatment often involves appropriately progressed strengthening and activity modifications.
Pain Behind the Knee
Pain behind the knee may be related to muscular or tendon irritation, joint conditions, or a Baker's cyst, among other causes.
Because some causes of pain or swelling behind the knee require medical attention, a proper evaluation is important, especially when symptoms are sudden or accompanied by calf swelling.
How Your Hips and Ankles Can Contribute to Knee Pain
Your hip, knee, and ankle form a connected movement system. Understanding how these joints interact is an important part of evaluating lower-body discomfort.
Can Tight Hips Cause Knee Pain?
Limited hip mobility can influence how the thigh and knee move during activities like walking, running, and squatting.
Your hips also provide much of the muscular control needed to stabilize your lower body. When hip strength or movement control is limited, the knee may experience different loading patterns.
This is one reason hip-focused strengthening is frequently included in rehabilitation programs for certain types of knee pain.
Can Limited Ankle Mobility Cause Knee Pain?
Your ankle needs adequate mobility to allow your body to move efficiently over your foot.
One particularly important movement is ankle dorsiflexion, which occurs when your foot moves upward toward your shin.
If ankle dorsiflexion is restricted, your body may compensate during activities such as squatting, walking downstairs, or running. These changes can influence knee movement and loading.
Not everyone with limited ankle mobility experiences knee pain, but evaluating ankle range of motion can help identify whether it is a relevant factor.
Because Dr. Champagne regularly works with extremity joints, he can evaluate the knee, hip, and ankle as part of the same examination rather than limiting the assessment to the painful joint. When appropriate, treatment may address relevant restrictions in more than one area.
Why Dr. Champagne Starts a Knee Pain Evaluation by Watching You Walk
At Champagne Chiropractic, one of the first steps in evaluating knee pain may be a simple walking assessment.
Dr. Champagne asks patients to walk toward him and away from him several times while he observes their gait.
He's looking at how the lower body moves as a coordinated system. This includes how the hips, knees, ankles, and feet work together during each step.
After observing a patient's walking pattern, he performs appropriate knee-specific orthopedic tests and evaluates the joints above and below the knee.
This may include assessing:
Knee range of motion and joint mobility
Hip mobility, strength, and stability
Ankle mobility and lower-leg movement
Surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments
Movement during squatting, balancing, or other functional activities
Areas of tenderness or discomfort, including the tibiofibular joint when indicated
The purpose is to gather a more complete picture of how the knee functions and identify findings that may influence the next steps in care.
A walking assessment alone cannot diagnose the cause of knee pain, but it can reveal useful information that a knee-only examination might miss.
Can a Chiropractor Adjust Your Knee?
Yes. Chiropractors can perform adjustments and joint mobilization techniques on extremity joints, including the knee, when clinically appropriate.
Although chiropractic care is commonly associated with spinal adjustments, chiropractic training also includes the musculoskeletal system beyond the spine.
Not every chiropractor regularly incorporates extremity adjustments into their practice. Some primarily focus on spinal care, while others offer a broader range of joint treatments.
At Champagne Chiropractic, extremity adjustments are a regular part of the services Dr. Champagne provides. He evaluates and treats joints throughout the body, including the knees, hips, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
For the knee, this may involve evaluating movement at the tibiofemoral joint, where the thighbone and shinbone meet, or the proximal tibiofibular joint near the outside of the knee.
When a clinically relevant restriction is identified, Dr. Champagne may use an appropriate adjustment or mobilization technique to address joint movement.
However, not every painful knee needs an adjustment. Treatment depends on the examination findings, the suspected cause of symptoms, and whether joint manipulation is appropriate for that individual.
Can Chiropractic Care Help Relieve Knee Pain?
Chiropractic care may be helpful for some people with knee pain, particularly when modifiable joint restrictions or movement-related factors are contributing to their symptoms.
At Champagne Chiropractic, the goal isn't simply to adjust the painful joint and send you on your way. Dr. Champagne first works to understand which structures and movement patterns may be involved.
Depending on the findings, care may include:
Extremity adjustments: Addressing clinically relevant joint restrictions in the knee, hip, ankle, or other areas when appropriate.
Joint mobilization: Using controlled techniques intended to improve movement in restricted joints.
Mobility exercises: Helping patients work on identified limitations in range of motion.
Strength and stability recommendations: Supporting better control of the lower body during everyday activities and exercise.
Movement and activity guidance: Identifying movements that aggravate symptoms and recommending appropriate modifications.
For certain knee conditions, particularly patellofemoral pain, strengthening exercises have stronger research support than joint manipulation alone. Chiropractic adjustments should therefore be considered a potential component of care, not a replacement for evidence-based rehabilitation.
Some knee problems also require imaging, medical treatment, or referral to another healthcare professional. Dr. Champagne uses his examination findings to help determine appropriate next steps.
Why Choose Champagne Chiropractic for Knee Pain in Denver?
If you're searching for a chiropractor for knee pain in Denver, it's worth finding a provider who regularly evaluates and treats extremity joints.
While chiropractors receive musculoskeletal training, individual practices vary in how frequently they work with conditions involving the knees, ankles, hips, and other extremities.
Extremity care is one of the areas of clinical focus at Champagne Chiropractic.
Dr. Solomon Champagne combines extremity joint assessment with a comprehensive examination of how the body moves. His background in exercise science and strength and conditioning also informs his approach to movement, mobility, and physical activity.
Rather than looking exclusively at the location of your pain, he evaluates how the surrounding joints and muscles function together.
This approach can be particularly valuable for active individuals who want to understand why their knee hurts during activities such as running, hiking, weightlifting, skiing, or snowboarding.
Whether your discomfort developed gradually or you've been dealing with recurring knee pain, the first step is determining what may be contributing to it.
What Can You Do for Knee Pain That Keeps Coming Back?
If your knee pain repeatedly returns, consider whether there are patterns associated with your symptoms.
Does it hurt more when walking downstairs? Does running aggravate it while cycling feels comfortable? Does your knee feel stiff after sitting, or does discomfort develop after a long day on your feet?
These details can help a healthcare provider understand which activities and movements may be contributing to your symptoms.
Depending on the cause, treatment may involve modifying activity, gradually strengthening the surrounding muscles, improving relevant mobility restrictions, or addressing an underlying joint condition.
Persistent knee pain deserves an appropriate evaluation rather than repeatedly pushing through symptoms without understanding them.
Seek prompt medical care if you experience significant swelling, an inability to bear weight, obvious deformity, fever with a red or hot knee, or severe pain following an injury.
Looking for Knee Pain Treatment in Denver? Start With a Comprehensive Evaluation.
You don't have to be experiencing back or neck pain to visit a chiropractor.
At Champagne Chiropractic, Dr. Solomon Champagne regularly evaluates and treats extremity joints, including the knees, hips, and ankles.
Our Comprehensive Discovery Exam is designed to look beyond the painful area and assess how your body moves as a whole. Depending on your symptoms, this may include gait analysis, range-of-motion testing, orthopedic assessments, strength testing, and evaluation of relevant joint restrictions.
If you've been dealing with knee pain and haven't considered chiropractic care, we'd welcome the opportunity to evaluate your symptoms and help you understand your options.
Whether your knee pain is related to a joint restriction, soft tissue condition, or another underlying issue, the first step is figuring out what's contributing to it.
Champagne Chiropractic is located inside Summit Strong Strength & Conditioning in Denver's Golden Triangle neighborhood, conveniently accessible from Downtown Denver and Capitol Hill.
Ready to find out what may be contributing to your knee pain?
Schedule your Comprehensive Discovery Exam at Champagne Chiropractic.
This article is intended for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical evaluation or treatment.
