INTRODUCTION
If you are dealing with hip pain, knee pain, ankle or foot pain, plantar fasciitis, leg neuropathy, burning feet, toe numbness, or pain running down the leg, this page will help you understand the unique mechanics behind each condition. Lower-extremity issues are often deeply connected to pelvic alignment, lumbar nerve function, gait patterns, and weight distribution.
Scroll down to find the specific condition that best matches your symptoms so you can learn what’s happening — and how we can help you heal and get back to normal movement again.
HIP PAIN
Overview of Symptoms
- Groin, outer hip, deep joint, or lateral hip pain
- Sharp pain when standing, turning, or walking
- Stiffness after sitting or sleeping
- Catching, locking, or pinching sensations
- Pain radiating into thigh or glute
- Difficulty crossing legs or bending
- Feeling like one leg is “shorter”
- Pain triggered by walking, running, driving, or stairs
- Limping or gait changes due to pelvic imbalance
How Chiropractic Can Help
Chiropractic care restores pelvic symmetry, evens weight distribution, reduces joint stress, improves hip capsule mobility, corrects rotational faults, improves lumbar–hip coordination, and slows arthritic progression by correcting underlying biomechanics.
Recommended Therapies for Lower Extremities Pain
Our therapies reduce inflammation, stimulate cellular repair, improve blood flow, and support tissue regeneration throughout the lower extremities. Your doctor will choose the therapies that best match your condition after reviewing your exam and X-rays.
Therapies We Offer:
- Chiropractic Adjustments
- Spinal & Pelvic Decompression
- Knee on Trac Decompression (for knee mechanics affecting hips)
- Laser Therapy (Class II & IV)
- Shockwave Therapy
- Pulsation Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF — pelvic-floor stabilization)*
- Ovation ULT Red-Light Therapy Bed
- Gait & Posture Correction
*PEMF contraindications may apply.
KNEE PAIN
Overview of Symptoms
- Pain in front, inside, outside, or behind the knee
- Sharp pain with bending, twisting, weight bearing
- Clicking, catching, or grinding
- Pain going downstairs or downhill
- Knee “giving out” or instability
- Swelling or warmth
- Pain worsened by walking or standing
- Knee pain worsened by pelvic tilt/imbalance
How Chiropractic Can Help
By correcting pelvic imbalance and lumbar alignment, chiropractic care improves knee tracking and reduces unilateral joint overload. Knee on Trac reduces pressure, improves joint lubrication, rehydrates meniscus tissue, decreases inflammation, and supports natural glide of the knee joint.
Recommended Therapies for Lower Extremities Pain
(Condensed version placed here; full Knee-on-Trac details remain in Nerds-Only)
Our therapies help reduce inflammation, accelerate healing, improve joint mobility, and support long-term knee stability. After your evaluation, your doctor will select the therapies most appropriate for your knee condition.
Therapies We Offer
- Knee on Trac Decompression
- Chiropractic Adjustments
- Laser Therapy
- Shockwave Therapy
- Spinal/Pelvic Alignment
- PEMF Stabilization Therapy
- Red-Light Therapy
ANKLE, FOOT & PLANTAR FASCIITIS PAIN
Overview of Symptoms
- Sharp stabbing heel pain (morning worst)
- Pain in arch, heel pad, or bottom of foot
- Ankle instability or repeated rolling
- Pain with prolonged walking or standing
- Tight calf/Achilles
- Swelling or tenderness
- Radiating pain into toes or up the leg
- Difficulty walking on hard floors or barefoot
How Chiropractic Can Help
Chiropractic corrects pelvic tilt → hip rotation → knee mechanics → ankle alignment → foot loading patterns. This improves joint positioning, decreases plantar fascia tension, enhances weight distribution, and corrects gait abnormalities that cause chronic foot pain.
Recommended Therapies for Lower Extremities Pain
Our therapies reduce inflammation, improve tissue repair, increase circulation, and restore proper foot and ankle mechanics.
Therapies We Offer:
- Chiropractic Adjustments (ankle, foot, knee, pelvis)
- Shockwave Therapy (exceptional for plantar fasciitis)
- Laser Therapy
- Spinal/Pelvic Alignment
- PEMF Pelvic Stabilization
- Red-Light Therapy
- Gait & Posture Correction
LEG & FOOT NEUROPATHY
Overview of Symptoms
- Numbness, tingling, burning, or electric sensations
- Weakness or heaviness in legs/feet
- Difficulty sensing foot placement
- Balance problems
- Night-time worsening
- Feeling like walking on sand, cotton, marbles, or “nothing at all”
- Temperature changes
- Trouble pressing pedals while driving
How Chiropractic Can Help
Chiropractic restores communication between the brain, spine, and lower-extremity nerves. Laser improves nerve metabolism and regeneration, compression increases circulation, and decompression reduces nerve-root irritation. The combination improves sensation, gait stability, and long-term nerve health.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST VISIT
Your first visit includes a detailed case history, a thorough examination with orthopedic and neurological testing, full-spine X-rays taken at The DC Original, and a postural analysis. You will also receive a complementary therapeutic modality chosen to offer maximum relief, along with a safe, relief-focused chiropractic adjustment on day one. At your second appointment, your doctor will review your X-rays, explain your diagnosis, and outline your customized treatment plan.
A Note for Patients With Prior Surgery
Chiropractic care is safe after lower-extremity and spinal surgery when performed correctly. We routinely treat patients with hip replacements, knee replacements, arthroscopic repairs, ankle reconstructions, plantar fasciitis surgeries, and lumbar surgeries. We use modified, gentle techniques along with decompression, laser, shockwave, and PEMF stabilization to safely support healing and long-term mobility.
NERDS ONLY — THE DEEP DIVE INTO LOWER EXTREMITY MECHANICS
(Unified explanation — hip → knee → ankle → foot → nerves)
Lower-extremity problems almost never originate in just one joint. The hips, knees, ankles, and feet function as a linked kinetic chain, all influenced by the alignment of the pelvis and lumbar spine.
When the pelvis rotates or tilts, the femur changes angle, altering tracking at the knee and forcing the ankle and foot to compensate. This imbalance increases pressure on cartilage, tendons, meniscus tissue, and the plantar fascia. Even slight pelvic rotation can cause one leg to functionally shorten or lengthen, overloading one hip, one knee, or one foot far more than the other.
The knee, like spinal discs, relies on movement and pressure changes to stay hydrated. When pelvic misalignment alters motion, the meniscus dries out and becomes more vulnerable to degeneration. Knee-on-Trac decompression works by restoring joint spacing and improving meniscal hydration — similar to how spinal decompression restores disc health.
The ankle and foot must absorb the mechanical consequences of everything above them. A rotated pelvis changes tibial rotation, which alters foot strike, arch loading, and plantar fascia tension. This is why plantar fasciitis often returns unless pelvic and hip mechanics are corrected.
Neuropathy can develop when lumbar nerve roots become compressed or inflamed. The nerves supplying the legs and feet begin in the lumbar spine — meaning poor nerve communication above will produce burning, numbness, and tingling far below. Correcting nerve flow at the spine, improving circulation, stimulating cellular activity with laser/light therapy, and decompressing nerve roots dramatically improves outcomes.
If you’re still reading — congratulations. You’re officially one of our favorite nerds. You now understand lower-extremity biomechanics better than most clinicians, and that means your long-term recovery will be significantly more successful.
Get Neuropathy Treatment Today
If you suffer from neuropathy, contact Doyle Chiropractic at (864) 881-4221 to schedule an appointment. Our dedicated team is here to help you achieve lasting pain relief and better health. Visit our clinic in Simpsonville, SC, and experience the difference our specialized care can make.