What it is
Mechanical hip and knee pain is common across all ages — from runners and active adults to patients with early arthritic change. Most presentations involve some combination of joint stiffness, muscular imbalance, and movement patterns that load tissues unevenly.
Common knee patterns include patellofemoral pain (around or behind the kneecap), iliotibial band irritation, and meniscal-type symptoms. Common hip patterns include gluteal tendinopathy, anterior hip impingement, and referred pain into the thigh or groin.
Common causes
Common contributors include:
- Training errors — sudden increases in volume or intensity.
- Hip and gluteal weakness — frequently behind knee pain.
- Restricted ankle or hip mobility — shifts load up or down the chain.
- Footwear and surface changes — new shoes, new terrain.
- Pelvic and lumbar contributions — referred patterns from above.
- Early degenerative change — common, manageable, not a verdict.
How chiropractic care may help
Care typically combines manual mobilization of the hip, knee, ankle and lumbar spine; soft-tissue therapy of the gluteal, quadriceps and surrounding muscles; and a progressive loading and movement plan that addresses the whole chain rather than the painful spot alone.
A knee that complains often points up at a hip that is not doing its share.
When to consider other care
Consult a physician or orthopedic specialist for: significant trauma, locking or giving way of the knee, severe swelling, deformity, fever with joint pain, or symptoms that fail to improve over a reasonable course of conservative care.