Knee Pain Treatment: Dr. Travis Arrington’s Perspective

Specific Chiropractic Care In Sandy, UT

What is a subluxation and why is it important in regards to the knee?

A subluxation is a brain-to-body communication problem—when a vertebra in your low back or pelvis gets stuck, it scrambles the nerve signals that control your hips, glutes, and leg muscles. Your knee ends up taking all the punishment because it’s the weakest link in a chain that’s been running crooked for years.

What problems related to knee pain can arise from a subluxation in the lumbar spine or pelvis?

A pelvic or lumbar subluxation makes one leg functionally shorter, collapses your arch, or turns off your glutes—so every step grinds the knee wrong, speeds up arthritis, tears the meniscus, or flares up that old “runner’s knee” you thought was random.

How can adjustments benefit a patient with knee pain?

We free the stuck joint in the low back, pelvis or directly in the knee, clear the nerve static, and suddenly your glutes fire again, your hips level out, and the knee finally gets to move the way it was built—most people feel the pressure drop off their knee the same day.

What makes chiropractic care superior to the conventional treatment model?

Conventional care hands you a brace, pills, or a cortisone shot and hopes the knee holds up; we fix the hip and pelvis and regenerate soft tissues that are actually causing the knee pain so you heal instead of just surviving until replacement day.

Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan

Why are exercises important for knee pain relief?

Adjustments and ShockWave clear the brain-to-body communication glitch and calm the storm, while exercises retrain the hips and glutes so your knee isn’t taking all the punishment every step you take. Without them, the joint keeps grinding, and you’re right back to limping in no time—ten minutes a day makes the fix stick.

How could our muscles cause knee pain?

Tight quads or IT bands and weak glutes or hamstrings pull the knee out of its groove, grinding cartilage or stressing ligaments like the ACL with every move. It’s not the knee’s fault—it’s the muscles up and down the chain that haven’t been talking right because of stress patterns.

What are some good knee pain exercises?

Glute bridges, straight-leg raises, mini squats with a band, IT band stretches, and calf raises—do 10–15 reps of each daily, and you’ll feel your knee stabilize and the ache start to fade in a week.

What are the exercises designed to do?

They wake up the glutes and hamstrings to support the knee, loosen the tight quads and IT band, and teach your brain to keep the joint tracking straight so it stops eating itself alive with every step.

ShockWave

What is ShockWave treatment for knees?

It’s a gentle handheld device that sends quick acoustic pulses deep into the knee’s tendons, ligaments, and muscles—like a super-charged massage that breaks up scar tissue and sparks healing without needles or drugs.

How does it work for knee pain?

We run it over the patellar tendon, meniscus area, or tight quads to dissolve inflammation, wake up blood flow, and calm the nerves that keep your brain in “pain mode”—it’s like hitting reset on the whole joint.

What are its effects?

Most folks feel looser after one session; by 3–6 visits, pain drops 60–70 %, swelling fades, and you’re walking stairs or hitting the trails without that old grind—adjustments hold way longer, too.

What is a ShockWave session like? What does it feel like on the knee?

You sit or lie relaxed while we glide the applicator around the knee for 5–10 minutes—it feels like rapid, deep tapping (some spots are “whoa!” but never brutal), and afterward, you stand up feeling like the joint just got a serious upgrade.

Common Causes of Knee Pain in Sandy, UT 

ACL Injury

What exactly is the ACL and what does it do? 

Your ACL is the tough rope in the center of the knee that keeps your shin from sliding forward—like the seatbelt that prevents your head from hitting the dash in a crash. 

How does a tear happen? 

Plant your foot, twist hard (classic ski binding release fail or cutting on the soccer field), or get hit from the side and the ligament snaps—often with an audible pop.

What does an ACL injury actually feel like at the moment? 

A loud pop, instant “my knee is gone” feeling, massive swelling in minutes, and you can’t trust it to hold weight.

Why do women injure theirs more often? 

Wider pelvis + hormones that loosen ligaments + weaker landing mechanics = the perfect storm; women tear ACLs 4–8 times more often than guys.

How do you help ACL tears heal stronger without surgery? 

We level the pelvis, calm the nerve storm with adjustments, blast the graft or partial tear with ShockWave to speed healing, and rebuild rock-solid stability—tons of partial tears and post-op patients are back on the mountain again without ever feeling unstable.

Torn Meniscus

What is the meniscus and why does the knee need it? 

Two C-shaped cartilage pads that act like shock absorbers and keep the knee stable—lose them and it’s bone-on-bone fast.

Why does a torn meniscus sometimes lock the knee? 

A big flap or bucket-handle tear flips into the joint like a jammed door stopper—knee literally won’t straighten or bend fully.

Can you tear the meniscus just getting out of a car? 

Yep—twist wrong with weight on it or a miss step off a curb.

What’s the difference between a small flap tear and a bucket-handle tear? 

Small flap usually hurts and swells; bucket-handle locks the knee and feels like something is caught inside.

How do we get most meniscus tears to heal without the surgeon taking half of it out? 

Adjust the pelvis to stop the grinding, ShockWave to flood the area with blood and growth factors, and specific rehab—80 % of the tears we see shrink and quiet down without the scope.

Knee Bursitis

What are knee bursae and why do they cause pain? 

Tiny fluid-filled sacs that cushion the knee; when irritated they swell and get angry, turning kneeling into fire.

What does “pre-patellar bursitis” (housemaid’s knee) look like? 

Big, puffy golf-ball swelling right over the kneecap that’s warm and tender.

Why does it swell up like a water balloon? 

Infection, trauma, or constant pressure makes the bursa overproduce fluid to protect itself.

How fast can we make that swelling disappear without draining it? 

Adjust the tracking, ShockWave to calm the inflammation, and most bursitis drops 70–90 % in 2–4 weeks—no needle required.

Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper’s Knee)

Why is the patellar tendon the Achilles’ heel of basketball and volleyball players? 

Every jump and landing pounds that tendon like a hammer; weak glutes and tight quads just make it worse.

What’s the real reason the tendon stays angry for months? 

Because the pelvis is tilted and the quad never turns off—rest doesn’t fix the mechanics destroying it.

How come resting it never fixes it? 

Rest quiets it for a week, then the second you jump again the same crooked pattern tears it right back open.

How do we rebuild the tendon so you can actually jump again? 

Level the pelvis, ShockWave directly on the tendon to spark healing, and retrain glutes/quads—players go from “can’t jump” to dunking in 6–10 weeks.

Arthritis (Osteoarthritis of the Knee)

How does a knee go from “fine” to bone-on-bone? 

Years of crooked walking from an old ankle sprain or tilted pelvis slowly grinds cartilage away until bone rubs bone.

Why do some 70-year-olds ski black diamonds and others can’t climb stairs? 

The ones still ripping kept their joints moving, inflammation low, and biomechanics in check—the others let subluxations and extra pounds wear down the joint.

What’s the single biggest accelerator of knee arthritis? 

Extra body weight—every pound adds four pounds of force through the knee every step.

How do we slow, stop, or even reverse early arthritis without replacement?

Brain-based adjustments unload the joint, ShockWave drops inflammation and sparks cartilage repair, plus weight loss and glute power—patients delay or ditch the replacement talk.

IT Band Syndrome

What is the IT band and why does it feel like a steel cable when it’s mad?

Thick band from hip to outside knee that gets inflamed and tight as a guitar string from weak glutes and overpronation.

Why does foam-rolling feel good for 10 minutes then the pain comes roaring back? 

You’re just masking the symptom—the hip is still dumping all the work onto the band. The problem is often in the hip or low back. 

How does a tilted pelvis turn a normal band into a knee wrecker? 

One side gets short and tight, pulling the band like a bowstring across the knee every step.

How do we loosen it for good instead of just torturing it? 

Adjust the pelvis and foot, ShockWave the hip and band, fire up the glutes—runners go from limping to PRs in 4–6 weeks.

Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)

Why does the kneecap suddenly get off track? 

Weak hips let the thigh bone rotate in, pulling the kneecap sideways like a train jumping the rails.

Why do braces and straps almost never solve it long-term? 

They’re Band-Aids—the kneecap goes right back to grinding the second you take them off. They often create dependency which weakens muscles and worsens the problem. 

How do we retrain the hips so the kneecap glides like it’s on rails again? 

Adjust the pelvis/foot, ShockWave the angry tissues, and rebuild glute and core power—most runners are pain-free and flying in 4–8 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is a chiropractor in Sandy, UT good for knee pain? 

Absolutely, Dr. Travis at White Bison Well-Being fixes most knee pain by correcting the hip, pelvis, and foot mechanics that are quietly destroying your knee in addition to addressing the knee injury itself. 

When should you see a chiropractor for knee pain? 

When it hurts going down stairs, keeps you from hiking or skiing, or has been bugging you longer than a couple weeks; waiting just lets the compensation tear the joint up faster.

How do I know if my knee pain is serious? 

If it’s swollen, locks, gives out, or you get numbness/tingling down to your foot, that’s red-flag time; otherwise it’s usually mechanical and we fix it fast.

How can I stop knee pain? 

Fix the brain-to-body communication problem in your hip/pelvis with adjustments, calm and heal the angry tissues with ShockWave, and rebuild stability so the knee finally gets a break.

Do medical doctors recommend chiropractors for knee pain? 

More and more do; major guidelines now say try conservative care like chiropractic before drugs or surgery for mechanical knee pain.

Are chiropractors covered by insurance for knee pain? 

It depends. It depends. In lieu of working with insurance, we have decided to work directly with our patients and aim to make care affordable and accessible to all. 

How can I relieve knee pain naturally? 

Get the hip and pelvis adjusted, loosen and regenerate the tight quads/IT band with ShockWave, and do glute bridges daily; most people feel the difference in a week.

What does arthritis in the knee feel like? 

Deep ache after sitting or first thing in the morning, grinding or stiffness, and pain that gets worse with stairs or squatting; like your knee is 20 years older than you.

Is it better to use heat or ice on knee pain? 

If the injury came on suddenly then use ice the first 48–72 hours to reduce swelling and inflammation. Then switch to heat to loosen it up; we’ll tell you exactly which one your knee wants right now. If it’s a chronic issue avoid ice altogether and stick with heat. 

Is walking good for knee pain? 

Yes, as long as it’s not sharp pain while walking; gentle walking keeps the joint lubricated and actually slows arthritis if your mechanics are fixed first.

Should I exercise with knee pain? 

Only the right exercises; bad ones grind the joint more, but our custom glute/hip drills take pressure off the knee and make it stronger without making it angry.

What is the best ointment for knee pain? 

Honest answer: none fix the problem, but if you want something, we like topical magnesium or  a good menthol cream while we fix the actual cause.

What should I eat if I have arthritis in my knee? 

Wild salmon, berries, olive oil, turmeric, bone broth, and tons of greens; cut sugar and seed oils and your knee inflammation drops fast.