The Most Common Causes of Knee Pain — And How Chiropractic Care & ARPwave Can Help You Get Back to Moving Pain-Free
Knee pain is one of the most common complaints people bring into a chiropractic office. Whether it’s from sports, daily wear and tear, old injuries, or posture issues, knee pain can limit how you move, exercise, work, and enjoy life.
The good news? Many cases of knee pain are mechanical and functional — meaning they respond extremely well to conservative care like chiropractic treatment and ARPwave therapy. Let’s break down the most common causes of knee pain and how these approaches can help you heal naturally.
Common Causes of Knee Pain
1. Misalignment and Joint Dysfunction
The knee is part of a chain that includes the hips, ankles, and feet. If any of these joints aren’t moving properly, extra stress is placed on the knee. Even small misalignments in the pelvis or spine can change how your leg tracks when you walk or run.
Signs:
Pain when walking or climbing stairs
Clicking or popping
Feeling “off” or unstable
How Chiropractic Helps:
Chiropractic adjustments restore proper joint motion in the spine, hips, knees, and ankles. When alignment improves, pressure on the knee joint decreases, allowing inflammation to calm and movement to feel smoother.
2. Muscle Imbalances and Weakness
Tight or weak muscles around the knee — especially the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves — can pull the knee out of proper alignment. This causes abnormal tracking of the kneecap and extra strain on ligaments and cartilage.
Common Triggers:
Sitting too much
Poor training technique
Previous injuries
Weak glutes or core
How Chiropractic + ARPwave Helps:
Chiropractic care improves joint motion so muscles can fire correctly.
ARPwave therapy uses targeted electrical stimulation to:
Activate weak muscles
Reset faulty movement patterns
Improve neuromuscular control
This combination helps restore balanced muscle function around the knee.
3. Overuse Injuries and Tendon Irritation
Repetitive stress from running, squatting, jumping, or kneeling can irritate the tendons around the knee. Conditions like patellar tendonitis (“jumper’s knee”) and IT band irritation are extremely common.
Symptoms:
Pain with activity
Tenderness below or around the kneecap
Pain that improves with rest but returns with movement
How Chiropractic + ARPwave Helps:
Chiropractic adjustments improve joint mechanics so stress is distributed properly.
ARPwave helps by:
Improving muscle firing patterns
Reducing abnormal tension on irritated tendons
Enhancing circulation to support tissue healing
4. Previous Injuries (Sprains, Meniscus Tears, Surgery)
Old knee injuries often leave behind scar tissue, weakness, and poor movement patterns. Even years later, these changes can cause pain, stiffness, and instability.
Why Pain Persists:
The brain learns “protective” movement patterns
Muscles stop firing properly
The joint becomes stiff and overloaded
How Chiropractic + ARPwave Helps:
Chiropractic restores motion to stiff joints and surrounding areas.
ARPwave helps retrain the nervous system and muscles so the knee can move normally again — not in a guarded, painful pattern.
5. Poor Posture and Movement Patterns
Your knees don’t operate alone. Poor posture, flat feet, uneven weight distribution, or poor walking and running mechanics can slowly overload the knee joint.
Common Contributors:
Slouched posture
Hip instability
Overpronation of the feet
Uneven leg strength
How Chiropractic Helps:
Chiropractic care addresses the full kinetic chain — spine, hips, knees, and feet — improving how forces move through your body. When your foundation improves, knee pain often decreases naturally.
How ARPwave Therapy Accelerates Knee Pain Relief
ARPwave is a neuromuscular re-education technology designed to help muscles fire correctly again. Pain often changes how muscles work — and when muscles don’t activate properly, joints become unstable and irritated.
ARPwave helps by:
Re-educating muscles that have “shut down”
Improving joint stability
Enhancing coordination and movement control
Supporting faster recovery when combined with movement and rehab
Many patients notice improved strength, stability, and confidence in their knee as the nervous system learns healthier movement patterns.
Why a Conservative, Non-Drug Approach Works
Pain medications and injections may mask symptoms, but they don’t fix the mechanical cause of knee pain. Chiropractic care and ARPwave work together to:
Improve alignment
Restore joint motion
Normalize muscle firing
Reduce stress on injured tissues
Support long-term healing instead of temporary relief
This approach addresses the root cause of pain — not just the symptom.
When to Get Your Knee Checked
You should have your knee evaluated if you experience:
Ongoing pain lasting more than 1–2 weeks
Pain with walking, stairs, or exercise
Swelling or instability
A history of knee injuries
Pain that keeps returning
Early care prevents small issues from becoming chronic problems.
The Bottom Line
Knee pain is common — but living with it doesn’t have to be. Most knee pain stems from mechanical issues, muscle imbalances, and movement dysfunction that respond extremely well to chiropractic care and ARPwave therapy.
If your knees are limiting your workouts, your workday, or your quality of life, getting evaluated can help you find the true cause and create a plan to move confidently again — without relying on medications or invasive procedures.
