“Dr. Bergin at Chiromed Wellness Centers is the best chiropractor in town. I no longer have to take pain meds. If you still have pain, you’re not seeing to best chiropractor.”
Condition
Knee Pain treatment
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
If you have been told a knee replacement is the next step, there is a conversation to have before that one. Non-surgical knee care, including knee decompression, at both offices.
- 22 years in practice
- Knee decompression on site
- No injections, no surgery
- $47 new patient exam
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 14, 2026
Quick summary
Most people arriving here with knee pain have already been offered an injection or told a replacement is coming. Non-surgical knee care aims at the load going through the joint instead: knee decompression, Omniwave shockwave and cold laser therapy, prescribed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC after an examination that also checks the hip and lower back.
Understanding knee pain
Knee pain is pain from the joint surfaces, cartilage, ligaments, tendons or bursae of the knee, or pain referred into the knee from the hip or lower back. Osteoarthritis is the most common source after fifty, but it is not the only one and not always the one causing your symptoms.
The knee is a hinge carrying several times your body weight with each step, depending almost entirely on the tissue around it for stability. Cartilage lines the joint surfaces, two menisci sit between the bones as spacers, and four main ligaments hold the joint together. Osteoarthritis is the gradual loss of that cartilage surface with changes in the bone beneath. It gives stiffness after sitting, pain on stairs, grinding on movement, and buckling once the muscle and ligament support weakens. Here is the part that changes the plan. How much a worn knee hurts correlates poorly with how bad the scan looks. Two people with the same imaging can have very different function, and the difference is usually load, strength and what the hip and lower back are doing. That is where non-surgical care has room to work.
Most people who walk in with a painful knee are trying to avoid an operation. That is the honest starting point, and it is what this page is about. The sequence is familiar. The knee gets sore. You are told it is arthritis and given something for the pain. Then an injection. Then another that does less than the first. Then a conversation about a replacement with the word eventually attached. Nowhere in that sequence does anyone examine what is loading the joint. ChiroMed Wellness Centers works the other end of the problem. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC, 22 years in practice, examines the knee and then the hip and lumbar spine, because a noticeable share of knee pain is referred from above and never improves while the knee alone is treated. Where the knee is the source, the plan unloads it: knee decompression, Omniwave shockwave, cold laser therapy, and structured care after surgery for people who have already had one. None of that replaces a knee that genuinely needs replacing, and saying so is part of an honest examination.
Independent background: Osteoarthritis symptoms and causes, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Symptoms
Most people recognise their own version somewhere in this list. Each one maps to a specific finding the examination checks for.
- Pain climbing or descending stairs
- Stiffness after sitting still
- Swelling around the kneecap
- Grinding or crunching on bending
- The knee giving way
- Pain kneeling or squatting
- Aching at night after activity
- Losing the last of the straightening
- Reduced walking distance
Common causes
Knee osteoarthritis
The most common source of persistent knee pain after fifty, as cartilage thins and the bone beneath adapts. Stiffness after rest, pain on stairs, and a shrinking walking distance.
Meniscus injury and degeneration
The spacers between the bones tear with a twist or fray with age. Catching, locking and pain on deep bending are the signs, and many degenerative tears do well without surgery.
Ligament injury
Sprains and tears follow a twist, a fall or a collision. The knee feels unstable rather than sore, and instability is a finding that sends a case to a surgeon.
Patellofemoral pain
Pain behind or around the kneecap from how it tracks as the knee bends. Worse on stairs, on hills and after long periods sitting with the knee bent.
Bursitis and tendon pain
The bursae cushioning the knee and the tendons crossing it become irritated with kneeling or a sudden increase in activity. This tissue responds well to shockwave therapy.
Referred pain from the hip or lumbar spine
Hip arthritis and irritated lumbar nerve roots both refer pain into the knee, sometimes with no hip or back symptoms at all. A knee that examines clean is not a knee problem.
How we treat knee pain in Lakeland and The Villages
Knee care here aims at unloading the joint and rebuilding tolerance rather than masking pain. Knee decompression, Omniwave shockwave, cold laser therapy and structured post-surgical rehabilitation are the tools, chosen from what the examination of the knee, hip and lumbar spine finds.
Knee Decompression to Unload the Joint
Controlled traction is applied across the knee to create separation between the joint surfaces, taking compressive load off tissue that has been ground together for years. No competitor in either market offers it. It is not a replacement and it does not rebuild the joint; it changes the mechanical environment inside it. Dr. Bergin decides candidacy at the examination and says no when the joint is too far gone.
Omniwave Shockwave for the Tissue Around the Knee
Acoustic pressure waves are delivered through the skin into painful tendon and soft tissue around the joint, with no needle and no anaesthetic. We use the Omniwave system. It targets the tendon and bursal pain that sits alongside an arthritic knee and gets blamed on the arthritis. Cash pay protocol.
Cold Laser Therapy for Irritated Joint Tissue
Low level laser is applied over the joint to support the body's own repair response in irritated tissue. Sessions are short and there is nothing to feel beyond mild warmth. Delivered as part of chiropractic care, so it bills insurance, and combined with the rest of the plan.
Rehabilitation After Knee Surgery
Some knees do need an operation, and what happens afterwards decides how much function comes back. We take patients after replacement, after a scope and after ligament repair, working on range, gait and the hip and back mechanics the surgery did not address.
What recovery usually looks like
Settling the joint The early visits
The first target is a knee less irritable day to day. Stairs and getting out of a chair usually change before the background ache does.
Building tolerance Through the active plan
Care shifts to how much the knee can do before it complains. Walking distance becomes the measure, and the hip and lower back work carries as much weight as anything applied to the knee.
Maintenance After the plan ends
An arthritic knee does not stop being arthritic. Maintenance means a planned, limited set of reviews to hold the function you regained, chosen by you rather than assumed.
The non-responder At the agreed checkpoint
Some knees do not respond, usually the ones with no joint space left. If reassessment shows nothing has changed, we say so and point you toward an orthopaedic opinion rather than selling another block of care.
When to seek care sooner
What to try at home first. For an aching knee with no locking, no giving way and no injury behind it, start with what changes the load. Keep walking, but in shorter, more frequent walks on flat ground rather than one long one. Build the quadriceps and glutes, because a weak thigh is one of the few things about an arthritic knee that is genuinely modifiable, and sit to stand repetitions from a firm chair are enough to begin. Losing even a modest amount of weight reduces the force through the joint with every step. Cut deep squatting and kneeling for a fortnight. Ice after activity, heat before it. Use a stick in the opposite hand if the knee gives way, which is a safety measure rather than a defeat. Give that three weeks and watch the direction of travel, not the pain score. If walking distance is still shrinking, if the knee swells after ordinary activity, or if you have started planning your day around it, it needs examining. See someone urgently if the knee is hot, swollen and painful with a fever, which can mean joint infection and needs same day medical care. Also urgent: a knee that cannot bear weight after a fall, a knee that locks and will not straighten, sudden swelling within an hour of injury, visible deformity, calf pain and swelling that could indicate a clot, or new numbness or weakness in the leg. Older adults who fall should be assessed for fracture even if they can still walk.
Red-flag findings belong with a physician, promptly, and not with conservative care alone.
Cost, insurance and financing
Knee care costs what the plan costs, and the plan comes from the examination rather than a package chosen in advance. It goes in writing at the report of findings, before you decide anything.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What moves the cost
- Whether the source is the knee, the hip or the lumbar spine
- Whether a knee decompression protocol is part of the plan
- Whether Omniwave shockwave is added for tendon pain
- How much walking distance and range have been lost
- Whether imaging is needed to settle the diagnosis
What a course includes
- The consultation, examination and report of findings
- Digital X-rays where they change the plan
- A written home loading program for knee, hip and thigh
Payment: Chiropractic care and the cold laser therapy delivered with it bill insurance, with benefits verified before your first visit. Knee decompression and Omniwave shockwave are cash pay protocols, quoted in writing before they start. On Medicare, coverage varies by plan and by service. Our front desk will tell you exactly what applies before you commit to anything. Payment plans are available for self-pay care.
Who you would be seeing
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has practised 22 years and examines knees the way a spine doctor does, which means the hip and lumbar spine are tested before anyone concludes the knee is the problem. His own history with chronic pain is why appointments are not rushed and why candidacy is stated plainly instead of softened. If knee decompression is not going to help your joint, he will tell you at the first visit.
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC, 22 years in practice, performs the examination personally and explains the findings before any program starts. Lakeland: 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, Lakeland. The Villages market office: 929 US-441 #404, Lady Lake. Both offices run the same program.
Getting to us
The Lakeland office at 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13 sits on South Florida Avenue close to the Polk Parkway, a short drive from Highland City, Scott Lake, Christina, Grasslands and the Lakeside Village side of the city. Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center is about fifteen minutes north, and plenty of these knees arrive after an orthopaedic consultation with a replacement on the table. The Lady Lake office at 929 US-441 #404 is minutes from Spanish Springs Town Square and within a comfortable drive of The Villages, Summerfield, Oxford, Wildwood, Fruitland Park and Leesburg across Sumter, Lake and Marion counties. Knees there carry golf, pickleball and a lot of walking, and the people attached to them are usually on Medicare and want to know where they stand first.
Browse every condition on the conditions we treat index.
Options compared, honestly
This is treated very differently depending on who you walk in to see. Here is the full set, including the options this practice does not provide.
| Criteria | Our approachKnee decompression | Omniwave shockwave | Cold laser therapy | Cortisone or hyaluronic acid injection | PRP or orthobiologic injection | Radiofrequency ablation | Total knee replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Controlled traction that separates the joint surfaces and takes load off them | Acoustic pressure waves into painful tendon and soft tissue | Low level laser over the joint to support tissue repair | A steroid or gel injected into the joint | An injection prepared from blood or other biological material | Heat applied to the small nerves carrying pain from the knee | Surgery replacing the worn joint surfaces with an implant |
| Typically considered when | The joint is painful under load and the examination says there is tolerance to work with | Tendon and soft tissue pain has outlasted rest | The joint is irritable and needs settling alongside the plan | Pain is severe enough to block everything else | A specialist recommends biologics before surgery | Surgery is unwanted or unsuitable and a specialist confirms the nerve target | The joint surface is gone and walking distance has collapsed |
| Invasive? | No | No | No | Minimally | Minimally | Minimally | Yes |
| Offered at ChiroMed? | Yes. Cash pay, quoted in writing first | Yes. Cash pay protocol | Yes. Billed to insurance as chiropractic care | Not performed here. Reasonable for short term control | Not performed here. We make no claim about it | Not performed here. A genuine option for someone who cannot have surgery | Not performed here. Often the right call for an end stage joint, and we refer rather than stall |
Four of these columns are things we do not do. A knee replacement is a genuinely good operation for an end stage joint, and the people it disappoints most are those who had it while there was still something to work with, and those who delayed it past the point of choice. The examination exists to tell you honestly which you are.
What to expect
From evaluation to a plan for your knee pain
A course, not a single visit. The examination decides the length and the cost, and both are written down first.
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01Evaluation
Orthopedic and neurological testing, with imaging on site where it changes the plan.
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02Findings, in plain language
What the examination actually found, and honestly whether this is a case conservative care can help at all.
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03A written program
Which disciplines, how many visits, over what period, and what it costs. Decided before anything begins.
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04Reassessment as it runs
Function is re-measured through the course. If the response says the plan should change, it changes.
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Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
“I have had sich a great experience seeing Dr. Bergin. When other offices have told me I just had muscle damage or the only thing they could do for me was give shots, he said he had others ways to manage my pain and numbness, along with improving mobility. And he was right! I feel so much better!”
“I have had pain in my right upper back quadrant by my shoulder blade for at least a year now and the doctors have been unsuccessful in making the pain go away. I came to Dr. Bergin looking for some help. Within 3 to 4 weeks. My pain in that area is completely gone.”
“Dr. Bergin is phenomenal. Chronic lower back issues led a different doctor to mention back surgery to me. That was not an option I wanted to entertain. After a consult with Dr. B, he was confident that he could help resolve my back issues. I’ve been seeing him weekly to resolve the issue, and I am so pleased with the results so far! More mobility, less pain, and a great customer experience.”
“I bless the day that Dr. Bergin started working on me. I have had long standing pain for so long. After just a few visits my pain left and I feel so good. He is very patient oriented and caring. I regard him highly.”
“Dr. Bergin was instrumental in relieving my back pain which I had for many years. The techniques he used on relieving my back pain were impressive. I been going to chiropractors for years and Dr. Bergin is the best.”
Get in touch
Schedule your knee pain evaluation
Tell us what you are feeling and which office is closer. A member of the ChiroMed team follows up within one business day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
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We call you back
A real person, within one business day, to find a time that works.
- 3
Exam and answers
History, orthopedic and neurological testing, imaging on site when it changes the plan.
- $47 consultation, exam, X-rays if needed and report of findings
- Payment plans available on the self-pay programs
- 4.8 out of 5 from 225 Google reviews
- Choose Lakeland or The Villages on the form
Knee Pain questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
What type of doctor is best for knee pain?
It depends what is wrong. A knee that is unstable, locked or has a confirmed structural tear belongs with an orthopaedic surgeon. A knee whose problem is load, stiffness and worn cartilage is often better served first by a non-surgical provider who also examines the hip and lower back. A pain specialist matters when surgery is unsuitable.
the clinic teamWhat is the new injection for knee pain?
The term usually means hyaluronic acid gel, or platelet rich plasma and other biologic injections offered in some clinics. We perform none of them and make no claim about them. If a specialist has recommended one, have that conversation with them. We can tell you what non-surgical care without injections looks like.
the clinic teamCan radiofrequency ablation be used to treat knee pain?
Yes. Pain specialists use heat to interrupt the small nerves carrying pain signals from the knee, most often for arthritic pain in patients who cannot have or do not want a replacement. It is not performed here. It does not change the mechanics of the joint, which is a real difference worth understanding.
the clinic teamCan knee pain come from my back or hip?
Yes, and it is missed regularly. Hip arthritis and irritated lumbar nerve roots both refer pain into the knee, sometimes without any hip or back symptoms. The tell is a knee that examines normally and does not hurt when loaded directly, while the hip or lower back reproduces your pain. Both are examined here.
the clinic teamDoes Medicare cover non-surgical knee treatment?
Some services yes, some no, depending on your plan. Chiropractic care has defined Medicare coverage rules; device protocols such as knee decompression and shockwave are generally not covered and run here as cash pay. Coverage varies by plan and by service. Our front desk will tell you exactly what applies before you commit to anything.
the clinic teamWho are some good pain doctors in The Villages, Florida?
Rather than a list, here is how to judge one. Ask whether they examine the hip and lower back as part of a knee assessment. Ask what they offer besides injections, and what happens if the first one does not work. Ask who they refer to and when. Ask for the plan and the cost in writing before you start.
the clinic teamSame-week appointments
Start with an examination, not a package.
Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
- $47 consultation, exam and report
- 22 years in practice
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47