Can you imagine life without the ability to walk, climb stairs, or easily sit down in a chair? Having your knees work is pretty essential for most of your daily activities. This is true regardless of your lifestyle.

Our patients include athletes, manual laborers, busy parents, and seniors trying to stay active. Knee problems make their work, daily activities, and training all extremely difficult. 

When your knees stop working, you can have chronic pain and constant dysfunction. That's no way to live. 

The right preventative measures can help keep your knees healthy. A bit of self-education and taking some simple actions will go a long way. 

There are six common knee conditions we see as chiropractors.

Whether you’re having knee pain, or feeling like your knee is unstable, a chiropractor can help you figure out what’s going on. 

We can often treat knee pain and help keep your knee healthy. 

If your problem is beyond our scope of practice, we can also refer you to a specialist. 

Either way, you should seek help sooner rather than later to avoid complications down the line. 

If you’re having knee pain or knee dysfunction, the cause could be one of these conditions:

ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) Tear

We’ve had a patient that experienced a full grade III ACL tear.

This patient had to wear a brace for three months and take a semester off college for rehabilitation.

For treatment, we focused on strengthening their hamstrings, quadriceps, IT band, and adductors. 

We were able to restore their knee stability as a result of early intervention and consistent care.

What’s it like to have an ACL tear?

Torn ACL symptoms include popping sounds, immediate swelling, instability and difficulty bearing weight.

The function of your ACL is to prevent your tibia from moving forward past your femur. The ACL stabilizes your knee when you move. 

How to prevent an ACL tear: Avoid sudden twisting or over-straightening your leg; add strength and mobility exercises to your workouts.

Meniscus Tear

Imagine you’re hiking when you suddenly twist your knee stepping over a fallen branch. 

The next day, you feel a clicking or locking sensation each time you take a step. You could have a meniscus tear.

What’s it like to have a meniscus tear? 

Symptoms of a meniscus tear include a "locking" or "catching" feeling in your knee, especially after a twisting motion. 

What does your meniscus do? The meniscus is your knee's shock absorber, cushioning your femur and tibia when you move. A twisting motion with a planted foot often leads to a meniscus tear. 

How to prevent a meniscus tear: Avoid deep squats and sudden twisting movements; strengthen your legs with exercises like wall sits or resistance band training.

IT (Iliotibial) Band Syndrome

Dr. Joe’s friend Peter developed IT Band Syndrome during a half-marathon. He felt knee pain and a snapping sensation while running downhill.

Dr. Joe helped with soft tissue manual therapy during Peter’s race. Afterwards, Dr. Joe gave Peter exercises to strengthen his hip abductors and stabilize his pelvis.

What’s it like to have IT Band Syndrome?

Symptoms of IT band syndrome include snapping or popping at your outer knee, and feeling tightness and tenderness.

What does the IT band do? Your IT band is a thick band of connective tissue running along your outer thigh. The IT band helps lift your leg to the front and to the side. It also supports your knee as you bend it forward and backward.

How to prevent IT Band Syndrome: Replace worn-out shoes, strengthen your hip abductors, and avoid overtraining.

Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper’s Knee)

Patellar tendonitis is common with athletes who jump a lot, like avid basketball players. 

It begins with feeling stiffness and aching in the front of your knee after every game. 

Over time, the pain worsens during jumps and sprints.

What’s it like to have patellar tendonitis?

Symptoms of patellar tendonitis include pain at the front of your knee, stiffness during activity, and swelling near your kneecap.

What does the patellar tendon do? The patellar tendon connects your kneecap to your tibia. Overuse (like jumping and sprinting over and over) causes microtears and inflammation.

How to prevent patellar tendonitis: Warm up properly, strengthen your quads and hamstrings equally, and avoid overtraining.

Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)

We recently treated a 14-year-old athlete with back-of-the-knee pain and a limp.

We requested imaging and discovered she had a fragmented bone.

Her treatment required a referral to a specialist, which we made. With the early diagnosis and referral, we were able to help prevent further complications and injury. 

What’s it like to have OCD?

What are the symptoms of OCD? Young athletes might experience severe knee pain and limping.

What is OCD? OCD occurs when part of your femur loses its blood supply. This is what leads to bone fragmentation.

How to prevent OCD: Avoid repetitive high-impact activities, always properly warm-up, and address any biomechanical issues early. 

Osteoarthritis in the Knee

We had a mid-60s patient come in with stiffness and recurrent swelling in her knee. Her symptoms were the effect of years of wear and tear.

With low-impact exercises and targeted strengthening, we have helped her mobility improve significantly.

What’s it like to have osteoarthritis?

Symptoms of osteoarthritis include gradual pain, stiffness, and recurrent swelling.

What causes osteoarthritis? Aging often comes with cartilage degeneration, which causes bone-on-bone contact and inflammation. This condition leads to discomfort and limited mobility.

How to prevent osteoarthritis: Maintain a healthy weight, engage in low-impact exercises, and strengthen the muscles around your knee.

What are the risks of ignoring knee pain or dysfunction?

The earlier you're diagnosed and treated, the better for your knee health—and quality of life.

Ignoring knee pain and problems can lead to:

• Making your knee condition worse
• Chronic pain and inflammation
• Losing knee mobility and function
• Previously avoidable knee surgery 
• Developing arthritis more quickly 
• Losing independence because of chronic pain and limited mobility

How does chiropractic help with knee conditions?

Chiropractic care can address the root cause of your knee pain.

Adjustments can help realign your knee to improve mobility and reduce inflammation.

Other treatments—like soft tissue manual therapy, instrument-assisted techniques, and exercises—help restore knee function and prevent future knee issues.

How can you help yourself prevent knee injuries?

These are some actions you can take to help your knees stay healthy:

• Do warm-up routines and stretches that help protect your knee
• Strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and hip abductors
• Replace worn-out shoes 
• Use ergonomic equipment
• Seek care as soon as you notice early warning signs like swelling, stiffness, or pain

Experiencing swelling, stiffness, or pain in your knee?

Our chiropractors in Aptos can help. It’s easy to make an appointment online. 

If your knee isn’t functioning well, we can help you figure out what’s wrong, and come up with a plan to get your knee back to health.