Why Do My Knees Crack, Pop, and Grind? Should You Be Worried? You bend down to pick up a bag of leaves, and your knees crack. You climb the stairs, and there’s that familiar crunching sound. Or you stand up after watching television and wonder whether the popping came from your knees or the furniture. With Halloween around the corner, there are plenty of things designed to give...
If you’re over 40 and dealing with knee issues – this might sound familiar: You’re getting ready for your daily walk – but wonder whether your knee can handle it. You hesitate before taking the stairs. You love gardening, but kneeling has become almost impossible. You pass on your favorite hike because the pain afterward isn’t worth it anymore. Before you know it – you’re planning your activities...
“I was told I need a knee replacement.” I hear some version of this all the time in my office. Usually, the person has been dealing with knee pain for months or even years. They finally get an X-ray, they’re told they have arthritis – sometimes “severe” or “bone-on-bone” arthritis – and suddenly a total knee replacement feels inevitable. And sometimes it is the right choice. Knee replacement...
Fall Hiking and Knee Pain: Why Your Knees Hurt Going Downhill Fall hiking is officially here, and it’s my favorite time to be on a trail. The air is cooler, the leaves are changing, and a climb that felt miserable to do in August weather now sounds like a great idea. Until the way down. You may feel perfectly fine (okay, more like out of breath) climbing to...
A meniscus tear is one of the most commonly diagnosed knee injuries – and also one of the most misunderstood. If you’ve recently been told you have a torn meniscus and that surgery is your only option – I want you to take a deep breath and pause for a moment… Because in most cases – especially if you’re over 40 – there’s a very good chance you...
The real solution starts with a deeper understanding of why your knee pain is happening in the first place.
If your hips always feel tight – whether during workouts, long walks, or just sitting at your desk – it can be incredibly frustrating. Not only is it uncomfortable, but tight hips often contribute to nagging lower back pain. And what’s even more confusing? No matter how much stretching you do, the tightness keeps coming back. For me – that’s typically a clue that the problem isn’t what...
When you’ve got persistent, nagging knee pain, it can significantly impact your quality of life, and put a real damper on your summer. The good news is there are many things you can do naturally and on your own to help keep your knees healthy, especially with the increased activity that often comes with summer. Here are six of my top tips to ensure your knees stay strong...
Gardening is a favorite activity for a lot of folks – and lately I have been hearing many people having knee and back pain when gardening. To add more frustration to this topic, you might not even notice the pain until hours or days afterwards, which can make it challenging to address. The good news is that there are several things you can do to protect your knees...
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Carrie Jose, MSPT, DPT, cert. MDT · Updated October 21, 2026 When you’ve got nagging, persistent knee pain, it’s common for doctors to recommend a cortisone shot in the knee. A cortisone shot in the knee, also known as corticosteroid injections, or “steroid shots”, works by reducing inflammation in your knee joint in an effort to alleviate pain. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well… not...
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Portsmouth, NH’s people-first physical therapy studio. We help active adults 40+ find the root cause of their pain and build a long-term plan to fix it, so they can get back to doing what they love most.
