Knee pain in Lakewood Ranch, let's find what's driving it.
A knee that aches on the stairs, swells after a walk, or buckles when you stand up is telling you something specific. Arthritis, a meniscus, a cranky tendon, and pain referred from the hip all feel different once you know what to look for. Dr. Banman sorts out which one you have, then builds non-surgical knee pain treatment around the actual cause.
- Non-surgicalconservative-first care
- 23+ yrsDr. Banman, DC
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Point to the spot. Tap a marker.
Knee pain isn't one problem. Front, inside, behind, and below the kneecap each point toward a different cause. Tap a marker to see what tends to live there and what we check for.
Front, around the kneecapAching at the front, worse going down stairs or after sitting a while, often points to the kneecap not tracking well or early wear under it. Common in walkers and anyone who sits most of the day.
Inside of the kneeThe inner knee is the most common spot for osteoarthritis and for medial meniscus trouble. If it is tender right along the joint line and swells after activity, that is the area we examine first.
Just below the kneecapA sore, ropey spot right under the kneecap usually means the patellar tendon, the "jumper's knee" pattern. It flares with squatting, jumping, and hills, and it responds well to shockwave and laser.
Deep in the jointPain that feels deep, with catching, clicking, or the knee briefly locking, suggests the meniscus or the cartilage surface. We test the joint directly and decide whether imaging changes the plan.
- Frontkneecap tracking, early wear
- Insidearthritis, medial meniscus
- Below cappatellar tendinitis
- Deep / catchingmeniscus, cartilage
- Hip or backreferred pain
Tap a marker to read what lives there
What's actually behind the pain.
Osteoarthritis
Gradual wear of the cartilage, usually on the inner knee. Stiff in the morning, achy after activity, more common after 40. The most frequent reason knees hurt for months.
Meniscus injury
The shock-absorbing cartilage tears, often from a twist or a deep squat. Sharp pain, swelling, and that catching or locking feeling deep in the joint.
Patellar tendinitis
An overuse strain of the tendon just under the kneecap. Pain with jumping, hills, and squats. Builds slowly rather than all at once.
Kneecap tracking
The kneecap rides slightly off its groove, irritating the surface behind it. Worse on stairs and after long sitting. Common in active walkers.
Referred from hip or back
Not every knee problem starts in the knee. A stiff hip or a lumbar nerve can send pain down to the knee with the joint itself fine on exam.
Old injury that never settled
A sprain, a ligament strain, or a dashboard hit from a car accident that healed crooked. The knee compensates, and years later it complains.
Knee pain, explained without the scare tactics.
Here's the part most clinics skip: a sore knee is not automatically a knee replacement waiting to happen. The large majority of knee osteoarthritis is managed without surgery, and conservative care is the first step the research points to. Surgery is real and sometimes right, but it sits at the end of the line, not the front of it.
The knee is a hinge that carries your whole body weight every step. Three things share that load: the smooth cartilage on the ends of the femur and tibia, the two crescent-shaped menisci that cushion between them, and the tendons and muscles that hold it all in line. When any one of those gets worn, torn, or strained, the knee lets you know. The trick is telling them apart, because the fix for a cranky tendon is nothing like the fix for a worn joint surface.
That's why the first visit is mostly questions and hands-on testing. Where exactly does it hurt. Does it swell, and how fast. Does it catch, click, or give way. Is it worse going up stairs or down. Dr. Banman has spent more than 23 years sorting these patterns out, and the answers usually narrow it down before any machine is involved. We order imaging when it would change the plan, not by reflex.
If it's the joint surface or early arthritis
For early-to-moderate osteoarthritis and chronic knee stiffness, our main tool is knee decompression on a Knee-on-Trac unit. It uses gentle, controlled traction to take mechanical load off the joint, drug-free and non-invasive. Straight talk: it does not regrow cartilage, cure arthritis, or replace a worn-out joint, and we won't tell you it does. The goal is to reduce pain and help the knee move better. We often pair it with Class IV laser to calm inflammation in and around the joint. If decompression isn't helping your knee, Dr. Banman tells you that instead of running the clock.
If it's a tendon or stubborn soft tissue
Patellar tendinitis and chronic soft-tissue spots respond to shockwave therapy, which uses acoustic waves to nudge stalled tissue back toward healing. Laser supports recovery in the same areas. For some knees we add gentle muscle work and stimulation to rebuild the support around the joint so the tendon isn't carrying the whole load alone.
If the joint is more worn than that
When a knee is further along, we talk about regenerative medicine through our Colombia partnership. It's a different category of care, and we walk you through honestly what it can and can't do for your specific knee. No pressure, and no promises we can't stand behind.
Non-surgical, matched to the cause.
Knee Decompression
Gentle traction that eases load off the joint for arthritis and stiffness.
Learn more →Class IV Laser
Deep-tissue laser to calm inflammation in and around the knee.
Learn more →Shockwave
Acoustic waves for patellar tendinitis and stubborn soft tissue.
Learn more →Regenerative Medicine
For worn joints, through our Colombia partnership. Honest fit first.
Learn more →Some knee pain shouldn't wait.
Most knee aches are safe to evaluate on a normal schedule. A few signs mean you should be seen quickly rather than toughing it out.
Hot, red, and swollen with a fever
A knee that's warm to the touch, red, and swollen alongside a fever can point to infection or inflammatory arthritis. That combination needs to be checked right away, not waited out.
Locked, or it gave out
If the knee locked and won't fully straighten, or it buckled and you couldn't put weight on it, that suggests a mechanical block or a tear. A hands-on exam tells us what's catching.
Swelled up within an hour
Rapid swelling right after a twist or impact often means a ligament or meniscus took the hit. The sooner it's examined and documented, the better the path forward.
Straight answers.
Can a chiropractor help with knee pain, or only the back?
We treat the knee directly, not just the spine. Some knee pain does start higher up, in the hip or low back, and we check for that. But for arthritis, tendon, and stiffness problems, we work right on the joint with knee decompression, Class IV laser, and shockwave. The first job is figuring out which one you have.
Do I have to have surgery for knee arthritis?
Not for most people. Research shows the large majority of knee osteoarthritis is managed without surgery, and conservative care is the standard first step. Knee replacement is real and sometimes the right call for a bone-on-bone joint, but plenty of knees that ache on the stairs are early or moderate, and those tend to respond to non-surgical care.
What is knee decompression and what can it actually do?
It's gentle, controlled traction that eases mechanical load off the knee joint, drug-free and non-invasive. It does not regrow cartilage, cure arthritis, or replace a worn-out joint, and we won't tell you it does. For early-to-moderate osteoarthritis, chronic knee pain, and stiffness, the goal is to reduce pain and improve how the joint moves. If it's not helping, Dr. Banman says so. More on knee decompression →
When should knee pain be checked right away?
Get it looked at promptly if the knee is hot, red, and swollen with a fever, if it locked up and won't straighten, if it gave out and you couldn't put weight on it, or if it swelled within an hour of an injury. Those can point to infection, a mechanical block, or a tear, and they need a real exam, not a wait-and-see.
I was in a car accident and my knee hit the dash. Is that covered?
Dashboard knee injuries are common after a crash. Florida PIP coverage pays up to a $10,000 statutory cap for accident-related care, and our auto injury team handles that paperwork. The sooner the knee is documented and treated, the cleaner that process tends to be.
Let's figure out your knee.
Quickest path is a phone call. Tell us where it hurts and what makes it worse, and we'll take it from there.