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Strengthen the Right Muscles
Progressive quad, glute and hip strengthening, measured on Kinvent force plates so you can see left versus right.
Conditions We Treat
Knee Pain Treatment in Onondaga County
Getting Started
Find the Source of Your Knee Pain
The knee takes more load than any other joint in the body, which is why knee pain shows up in runners, weekend athletes, tradespeople and grandparents alike. At AR Physical Therapy we find the real cause of your knee pain and treat it.
Knee pain rarely lives only in the knee. We treat the joint and the chain above and below it, with strengthening, movement retraining, manual therapy and deep tissue laser therapy to bring the pain down so the work of strengthening can begin.
Most knee pain does not need imaging to start treatment. A thorough exam identifies the pattern in the majority of cases, and we will tell you plainly if something warrants a referral.
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How We Treat Knee Pain
Understanding Knee Pain
Which knee pain
do you have?
do you have?
Pain at the front of the knee with stairs and sitting usually points to patellofemoral pain or patellar tendinopathy. Pain along the joint line with twisting or squatting suggests a meniscus irritation. Deep, stiff, aching pain that is worse in the morning is typical of osteoarthritis. Pain and swelling after a twist or fall may involve a ligament.
The treatment depends on which pattern you have, which is why the evaluation comes first and the exercise sheet comes second.
Front of Knee
Patellofemoral pain and patellar tendon overload, usually from weak hips and quads
Joint Line
Meniscus irritation and osteoarthritis, managed with loading and mobility
After Surgery
Swelling and stiffness after knee replacement or ACL reconstruction on a protocol set with your surgeon
What We See
Common knee
problems.
problems.
If your knee has hurt for more than a couple of weeks, is swelling, or is changing how you walk, run or climb stairs, it is worth an evaluation.
Knee osteoarthritis
Patellofemoral pain
Patellar tendinopathy
Meniscus irritation
Runner’s knee
IT band pain
Post-surgical swelling
Ligament sprains
How We Treat It
Fix the chain,
not just the joint.
not just the joint.
Weak quads, glutes and hip rotators are behind a large share of knee pain. We build them back and prove it with numbers.
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Retrain Movement
DorsaVi motion sensors show how your knee tracks when you squat, land or run. We correct the pattern that keeps loading the sore spot.
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Calm the Joint
Manual therapy for stiffness and swelling, and laser therapy to reduce pain so you can tolerate the loading that actually fixes the problem.
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Return to What You Love
For athletes, our ACL rehabilitation and return-to-sport testing use the same equipment to prove you are ready before you go back.
Why Choose Us
From Painful Stairs Back to Full Stride
Deep Tissue Laser Therapy
Laser for the knee,
backed by research.
backed by research.
The knee is one of the joints where Class IV laser therapy is best supported by research. The LightForce laser reaches the joint capsule, patellar tendon and surrounding tissue with near-infrared light that increases circulation and reduces the inflammatory activity behind pain and swelling. A knee is treated in a few minutes along the inner and outer joint lines, above the kneecap and behind the knee.
For arthritic knees, reviews of high-intensity laser combined with exercise have found meaningful reductions in pain and improvements in function versus sham treatment. For patellar tendon pain, laser is an adjunct to the loading program tendons need. And after total knee replacement, a 2025 randomized trial found laser started in the first days after surgery reduced swelling and improved walking distance compared with standard care.
In every case laser is the support and exercise is the treatment.
Recovery
What progress
looks like.
looks like.
Front-of-knee pain from weak hips and quads often improves within four to eight weeks of consistent strengthening. Meniscus irritation and osteoarthritis are managed over a longer arc. Post-surgical knees follow your surgeon's protocol.
Do the Strengthening
The program is the treatment. Everything else we do makes it possible to complete.
Ice if It Swells
Ice after activity when the knee swells, and keep walking. Complete rest makes a weak knee weaker.
Earn the Deep Squats
Avoid the deep squats and long stair sessions that flare it until we have built the capacity for them.
Why AR Physical Therapy
Knee care with
numbers behind it.
numbers behind it.
Force plates, motion capture and a clinician who tells you exactly what is going on. That is the difference.
- Evaluation and treatment led by a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist
- Kinvent force plate and DorsaVi motion analysis on every knee that needs it
- Class IV laser therapy for pain and swelling, alongside loading that fixes the cause
- ACL rehab and objective return-to-sport testing for athletes
LightForceClass IV laser
DorsaVi3D motion capture
KeiserPneumatic resistance
KinventForce plate analysis
Questions
Common questions.
Do I need an MRI before starting physical therapy?
Usually not. A physical exam identifies most knee pain patterns, and we refer you for imaging if your history or exam calls for it.
Can laser help swelling after knee surgery?
Research on total knee replacement found reduced swelling and better walking distance when laser was added early after surgery. We coordinate with your surgeon on timing.
Is knee pain a sign I should stop running?
Rarely. It is usually a sign the knee needs more strength or a change in how you load it. Most runners return with a modified program.
How long does a laser session take?
Four to eight minutes for the knee, delivered within your regular PT visit.
Get Started
Find out what is really
driving your knee pain.
driving your knee pain.
Book an evaluation. You will leave knowing what it is and what we are going to do about it.