Knee Pain

Why do I have knee pain? 

Your knees support almost all your weight, which is a considerable amount, even if you're at a normal weight. If you're overweight or obese, the strain is far more severe. 

Your knees also have to bend and twist as you go about your daily activities and absorb the shockwaves running up your legs as you walk, run, and jump.

Your knee contains the ends of your thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia), which meet to form the joint. There's also the end of your other lower leg bone (fibula) and your kneecap (patella). Four primary ligaments hold the bones together and stabilize your knee, in addition to tendons, muscles, cartilage, and nerves.

Damage to any of these parts can result in knee pain. Acute knee pain is what you feel when you injure your knee. It usually happens quickly, then eases off as the injury heals. Chronic knee pain tends to develop more slowly and persists for many months or even years.

What conditions cause knee pain?

The most widespread cause of chronic knee pain is arthritis, which comes in numerous forms. Osteoarthritis is the most common and is a result of the wearing down of cartilage in the joint over the years. The second most common type is rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder.

Other causes of knee pain are due to injures, such as:

• Fractures
• Dislocations
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear
• Meniscus tear
• Patellofemoral syndrome
• Patellar tendinitis (runner's knee)
• Articular cartilage injuries
• Patellar (kneecap) instability
• Iliotibial (IT) band injury

These types of injuries can develop into chronic pain problems if you don't receive the correct treatment.

How is knee pain treated?

In most cases, knee pain responds to noninvasive treatments such as rest and activity modification, physical therapy, pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory medications, and wearing devices like knee braces.

The Pain Physicians NY team also offers a range of advanced, minimally invasive treatments for patients whose knee pain doesn't improve sufficiently using these initial approaches. Treatments include:

• Steroid injections into the joint 
• Hyaluronic acid injections (viscosupplementation)
• PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy
• Stem cell therapy

The Pain Physicians NY team also specializes in using innovative treatments related to nerves such as:

Radiofrequency ablation

This minimally invasive treatment uses radiofrequency waves to disable the nerves in your knees that are sending out pain signals to your brain. It's a useful option for chronic conditions like arthritis when other approaches aren't working.

Focused cold therapy

The Pain Physicians NY team uses the iovera° system, which blocks pain messages by targeting the pain-causing nerves with very low temperatures. There's no permanent damage, and after about four months, the nerve recovers. This makes iovera° suitable for a range of painful knee conditions.

To find out more about relieving your knee pain, call Pain Physicians NY today or book an appointment online.