Shoulder, hip, knee, ankle · Crows Nest · Lower North Shore
Shoulder, hip, knee and ankle treatment in Crows Nest.
Joint and tendon pain outside the spine assessed properly, treated hands-on and rehabbed with real load. Pressing, running, squatting and walking without thinking about it is the goal.
What we see
Extremity pain usually comes from either a single overload event, like a rolled ankle or a shoulder tweak under a heavy press, or a mismatch between what you asked the tissue to do and what it was prepared for. The second one covers most tendon and overuse pain.
- Shoulder pain with pressing, overhead work and throwing, including rotator cuff related pain
- Hip and groin pain in runners, field sport players and lifters
- Knee pain including patellofemoral pain, tendon pain and load-related aching
- Ankle sprains and the lingering instability people carry for years afterwards
- Achilles, patellar and gluteal tendon pain
- Elbow and wrist pain from gripping, lifting and racquet sports
What we assess
- Which tissue is producing the pain, and how irritable it currently is
- Screening for anything that needs imaging, a GP or a specialist opinion
- Range of motion and control at the painful joint and the joints above and below it
- Strength testing side to side, so we have numbers rather than guesses
- Your training week, footwear, surfaces, work demands and recent changes in load
How we treat it
Early on, hands-on care does the settling: joint mobilisation and manipulation where movement is restricted, soft tissue therapy, dry needling, and taping or strapping so you can keep moving while it calms down. Relative rest, not complete rest, is almost always the right call.
Then the real intervention. Progressive loading of the injured tissue, strength work through the whole chain around it, and a return to speed, change of direction or overhead load in stages. Because we are inside PT Central, that happens with the actual weights you need instead of a printout of band exercises.
What the research says
The consistent finding across musculoskeletal injury research is that loading beats resting. Strength training in particular is the standout: a landmark meta-analysis found strength training reduced sports injuries to roughly one third of baseline, with a dose-response relationship, meaning more strength work meant fewer injuries.⁵
Manual therapy has a real role in reducing pain and restoring movement early, which is what lets you start loading sooner.²³ That is why we use both, in that order, rather than choosing a side.
Frequently asked questions
Do chiropractors treat joints other than the spine?
Yes. Shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, elbows and wrists are a normal part of practice. The assessment principles are the same: find the tissue involved, work out why it was overloaded, then treat and rebuild it.
Do I need a scan for shoulder or knee pain?
Usually not straight away. Most shoulder, hip, knee and ankle pain is diagnosed clinically and improves with loading. We refer for imaging when the history or examination suggests it will change your management.
How long does tendon pain take to settle?
Tendons respond to load, not rest, and they are slow. Expect meaningful change over six to twelve weeks with a consistent loading program, with earlier improvement in day-to-day symptoms.
Can I keep training while we treat it?
Almost always in some form. We modify the movement, range, load or volume rather than stopping you, and keep training the rest of you while the injured tissue recovers.
Will you just adjust my back for a knee problem?
No. We treat the joint that is the problem, and we look at the chain around it because hips, ankles and trunk control genuinely affect knee and shoulder load.
Related conditions
Book a chiropractor in Crows Nest
455 Pacific Hwy, Crows Nest NSW 2065, serving the Lower North Shore. Book an initial consultation and we'll build a plan around your pain, movement and goals.
The information on this page is general in nature and does not replace individual medical advice. Treatment recommendations are made following an individual assessment, and referral for further investigation may be recommended where clinically appropriate. Numbered references correspond to the full citation list.