Knee Pain Care in Garner, NC
Knee pain is rarely just wear and tear. Your knee sits between your hip and your ankle, and when either one moves poorly, the knee often takes the strain. I'm Dr. Adam Seay, D.C. I examine your knee, hip and ankle, including a commonly missed spot on the inner knee, sort out what is driving your pain, and build a plan around what I find. Call 919-662-0520 or tap Schedule Appointment above.
Emergencies first
Get emergency care for a hot, red, swollen knee with fever, a knee you can't put any weight on after a fall or twist, a knee that looks deformed after an injury, or calf swelling, warmth and redness, especially after surgery, an injury or a long stretch without moving. Get checked promptly for unexplained weight loss with knee pain, night pain that no position or rest eases, a knee that locks, gives way or won't fully straighten, new swelling with no clear cause, or pain that keeps getting worse over several weeks.
Your first knee visit
Your first visit includes:
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The story of your knee: when it started, whether there was an injury, and what brings it on, such as stairs, squatting, standing up or long sitting
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Questions and checks that sort out arthritis, a meniscus or ligament problem, pain around the kneecap, the outer-knee IT band and the inner-knee pes anserine bursa
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A check of your hip strength and control, since weak hip muscles let the knee drift inward
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A check of how far your ankle bends and how your arch behaves when you stand and step down
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A check of leg length, and whether a difference comes from the bones or from how your pelvis and muscles hold you
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A written plan tied to what I find, with a re-exam date so progress is measured, not guessed
Wear shorts or pants you can roll above the knee, and bring any X-ray or MRI reports you already have.
What causes knee pain?
Arthritis is real and common after middle age, but an X-ray doesn't settle why your knee hurts. In a study of nearly 4,800 people, X-ray and MRI grades explained only a small part of who had pain, so two people with nearly identical X-rays can feel very different. "Bone on bone" on a report is a real finding, not a verdict. For knee pain without an injury or warning signs, the exam usually tells more than imaging, which matters most after an injury, when you aren't improving, or when surgery is on the table.
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Your knee has little room to rotate on its own, so when the hip or ankle moves poorly, the knee often takes the strain. Weak hip muscles let the thigh drift inward, which changes how the kneecap is pulled. In a review of 82 trials of pain around the kneecap, gains in hip strength, especially the muscles on the side of the hip, tracked most closely with less pain. A stiff ankle or an arch that flattens under load can push extra stress into the knee too.
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Pain on the inner side of the knee, a couple of finger-widths below the joint line, often gets blamed on arthritis when it may come from the pes anserine bursa, a small cushion under three tendons. It tends to hurt on stairs, when standing up, or when lying with the knees together. In a large long-term study, tenderness there went with more frequent knee pain and a higher chance of a knee replacement. A tender spot alone isn't a diagnosis, so it's one clue in a full exam. Leg length matters most when the bones differ by about 2 centimeters or more, which is linked to more knee arthritis and faster worsening.
Why See Seay Wellness for Knee Pain
Exam before treatment
You see Dr. Seay at every visit, from the first exam to discharge. Nothing is treated until the exam shows where your pain is coming from.
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Care matched to the cause
Depending on your exam, your plan may include quadriceps and hip strengthening, ankle mobility work, chiropractic adjustments or mobilization to help a stiff hip or ankle move, and soft-tissue work such as Active Release Technique. Exercise carries the most weight. Every major arthritis guideline recommends it, and hands-on care is there to help a stiff joint move well enough to get the most from it.
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Measured progress
Pain, how far your knee bends and straightens, your strength and the tasks that hurt, like stairs or getting up from a chair, are recorded at the start and again at re-exam, so you can see the change in numbers.
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Straight answers
If your exam points to a ligament tear, a locked knee, an infection or anything else that needs imaging or a medical doctor, I'll tell you and refer you.
Questions About Knee Pain
Q: Do I need a referral?
A: No. You can book directly by calling 919-662-0520 or through Schedule Appointment at the top of this page.
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Q: My X-ray says bone on bone. Do I need a knee replacement?
A: Not necessarily, and not first. X-ray grades explain only a small part of how much a knee hurts. A replacement can give real relief to the right person with advanced arthritis, but it's a major, largely permanent surgery, and research comparing it with non-surgical care is thin. It makes sense after exercise, weight management and hands-on care have had a real try.
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Q: Will arthroscopic clean-up surgery help my arthritic knee?
A: For arthritis without a locked knee or a loose piece of cartilage, two careful trials found it worked no better than placebo surgery, or than therapy alone. If it's recommended to you, it's fair to ask how your knee differs from the knees in those trials.
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Q: How long does knee pain take to get better?
A: Most people need several weeks of steady exercise before they notice a clear change. If weight is a factor, losing some while you exercise works better than either one alone. In an 18-month trial, people who did both lost more weight, put less load on their knees and had less pain. I recheck at re-exam, keep what is working, and change what isn't.