Hip & Knee Pain Chiropractor in San Diego
Hip and knee pain often share the same root. We assess and treat both joints and the kinetic chain between them.
What We Treat
Hip and knee presentations we see most often.
Chronic Knee Pain
Persistent knee pain from old injuries, joint wear, or poor mechanics. Treatment assesses alignment, joint function, and the hip and ankle above and below the knee. Particularly effective for active patients, including runners.
Hip Misalignment & Pelvic Imbalance
Uneven hips alter gait, posture, and the forces moving through the lumbar spine. Care corrects pelvic positioning and addresses the compensations that build downstream into the knees and lower back.
Athletic & Overuse Injuries
Frequent squatting, lunging, and high-impact activity wears down hip and knee joints. Treatment addresses the joint restriction, the mechanics behind it, and the joints up and down the chain.
Joint Stiffness & Reduced Range
Hips and knees that feel locked, restricted, or hard to move through a full range often respond well to precise joint work. Care focuses on restoring motion, capsular movement, and the surrounding mechanics.
Sciatica or Referred Leg Pain
When hip alignment or lumbar pressure affects the sciatic nerve, pain can pattern into the hip and down the leg. Treatment addresses the underlying cause, not only the symptom site, including disc and pinched nerve presentations.
Early Degeneration & Age-Related Pain
Mild arthritis and early joint wear respond well to consistent, measured care. Treatment supports joint mobility and addresses compensations carried into the lumbar spine, closely related to low back pain patterns.
The Hip-Knee Connection
Hip pain and knee pain are not always separate problems. The hip and knee sit on the same kinetic chain, the linked system of joints that moves the lower body. When one joint stops moving well, the other compensates.
Pain often shows up at the site of compensation, not the site of the actual cause.
When the hip is the source
Restricted hip rotation, weak pelvic stabilizers, or femoral head positioning that has shifted over years can change how force travels into the knee. The knee compensates by absorbing forces it was never designed to handle. Patients arrive with knee pain. The actual restriction is two joints up.
When the knee is the source
An old knee injury, post-surgical change, or chronic stiffness alters gait. The hip compensates with each step. Over time, the hip becomes the symptomatic joint, but the underlying mechanics started at the knee. Treating only the painful joint misses the pattern.
Your Hip & Knee Care Is Personal Here
At 22, Dr. Yossi Stein suffered a serious injury that gave him a patient's perspective that never left him. He knows what it is to be the one on the table, hoping this time the care will actually find what is wrong.
That memory shapes how every hip and knee case is assessed. The joint that hurts is rarely the whole story. A thorough assessment finds the underlying cause before treatment is recommended.
Care is precise, measured, and tailored to what your body presents. That standard has not changed since 1991.
How We Treat Hip & Knee Pain
Three clinical techniques used in combination, matched to what the assessment finds.
Chiropractic Adjustments
Precise adjustments to the spine, pelvis, and sacroiliac joint address the structural causes that change how force travels through the hip and into the knee. Adjustments are calibrated to that day's findings.
Joint Mobilization
Low-grade passive joint movement directly at the hip and knee. Joint mobilization restores motion at the joint itself, distinct from a spinal adjustment. Effective for joints that have stiffened from injury, overuse, or early degenerative change.
Active Release Technique (ART)
ART is a precise clinical technique that addresses restricted muscle and fascia patterning contributing to hip and knee dysfunction. Used where assessment identifies adhesion or scar tissue limiting joint motion, typically in long-standing cases or post-injury presentations.
Understanding Hip & Knee Pain
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint built for mobility. The knee is a hinge built for stability. Both carry the body's weight every day, and both are influenced by what happens above (the lumbar spine, pelvis) and below (the ankle, foot).
When any link in this chain stops moving well, force redistributes. The joint that takes the extra stress becomes the one that hurts.
The goal of chiropractic care is precise: assess both joints, find what is causing the restriction, and address it directly. Learn more about hip pain that traces back to the spine.
When to Walk In
Chiropractic care fits a specific clinical window. The following helps you understand whether walking in is the right next step, or whether a different evaluation comes first.
Chiropractic care helps with
- Hip or knee pain that has been building over weeks or months
- Pain that worsens with sitting, standing, stairs, or walking
- Old injuries that never fully resolved
- Joint stiffness, restricted range, or a sense of being "stuck"
- Recurring pain after running, lifting, or sport
- Mild to moderate degenerative joint change
Call first if you have
- A recent fall or trauma with visible swelling or deformity
- Inability to bear weight on the leg
- A joint that locks suddenly
- A recent surgical replacement still in early recovery
- Signs of infection at or near the joint
- Active cancer treatment affecting the spine or pelvis
If you are unsure which category fits, call the office and we will help you route to the right care.
What to Expect
The first visit starts with a conversation. What brought you in, how long it has been going on, what you have been doing to manage it. From there, a hands-on assessment of the involved areas, both above and below the site of pain.
Care on the first visit and every visit after is built from those findings. Nothing protocoled, nothing rushed.
Patient Testimonials
From patients seen for hip, knee, and related care.
"Great adjustment and service I had an issue with my lower back that no chiropractor had fixed and he did it on the first visit! Also I had chronic knee pain and I didn't even know those could be adjusted it made me feel so much better."
"He's been so essential in helping with my recovery being a very active person. Most recently, I had a pretty major hip injury and he has been so dedicated to addressing it. I think my recovery process would have taken twice as long if I didn't have his help."
"Dr. Yossi Stein Chiropractic has helped me greatly with my hip, neck, and back pain. I'm very pleased with my progress over the past month. He is informative, responsive, and respectful. Thank you, Dr. Stein."
Ready to Move Without Working Around the Pain?
If hip or knee pain has been changing how you move, how you walk, how you sit, what you avoid, you've adapted long enough. Walk in when you're ready.
Or call us: 858.587.7000