What makes my knee hurt?

Knee pain is one of the most common complaints I hear from patients who visit my office. Most patients are frustrated that their pain won’t go away on its own and want treatment recommendations.

The best treatment recommendations come after we make the right diagnosis. Most times, knee pain is due to overuse and generally goes away with a course of rest, ice, elevation, and anti-inflammatory medication. This is usually the best first course of treatment.

Sometimes, patients come in after an injury - like a trip and fall or a twisting injury. In those cases, something may have torn like the meniscus (the shock absorber in your knee). If that’s the case, we may recommend a steroid injection in your knee or an MRI which can help us locate the spot where your knee is injured.

In our patients who’ve put a lot of miles on their knees, we’ll check for arthritis - which is wearing away of the smooth cartilage lining in your knee and your bones start rubbing against each other. This causes a lot of pain and swelling and it may limit how much bending of your knee you’re able to do.

We start out treating arthritis with non-surgical options - like medications, therapy, and injections. When the pain becomes too severe and those treatments stop working, surgery is an option. Partial and total knee replacement are procedures that cure arthritis by removing the areas of damaged cartilage and resurfacing the bones with medical-grade metal and plastic. For most patients, this eliminates their pain and gets them back to being active again.

One of the most common questions I get from patients is “When is the right time for surgery?” This is a tough question to answer. I recommend that patients consider the following factors when deciding to have a knee replacement.

• Is your knee pain limiting your participation in family activities? Most patients who are ready for surgery have been sidelined from family activities.

• Are you having more bad days than good days? Having more bad days than good days is typically a sign you’re ready for surgery.

• Is your knee pain keeping you awake at night? Patients generally decide to have surgery when their pain is so severe that it keeps them awake at night.

• How long have you been suffering with pain? Surgery should be considered when you’ve been having pain for many months or years.

• Have you tried non-surgery options first? We always recommend that patients try all non-surgery options first.

If you have any questions about knee pain or would like to be evaluated by our team, please give us a call.