Knee Pain Specialist

What causes knee pain?

Knee pain often develops due to sports injuries, especially when you twist the joint or take a direct hit to your knee. Overuse injuries also commonly cause knee pain; repeating the same joint movement causes tears in the soft tissues.

As you get older, chances are your knee pain is due to arthritis. Though you can develop rheumatoid arthritis in your knee joint, osteoarthritis is the most common type.

Some of the knee conditions frequently treated at SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Ligament tears
• Meniscus tears
• Joint dislocation
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Runner's knee
• Fractures

A foot problem that affects the way you walk can put extra stress on the knee, leading to knee pain.

What other symptoms accompany knee pain?

The problem responsible for your knee pain usually causes additional symptoms, including:

• Inflammation
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Limited joint movement
• Clicking or popping
• Locked knee joint
• Difficulty walking
• Inability to straighten your knee

If you tear a ligament, you may have knee instability, making your knee feel like it will give out.

How is knee pain treated?

The treatment for your knee pain depends on the cause and severity of the problem. If you have a torn meniscus, ruptured ligament, or broken bones, you may need immediate surgery.

Most of the time, your treatment begins with the most appropriate nonsurgical therapy, such as:

• A knee brace
• Physical therapy
• Avoiding activities that stress your knee
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Steroid injections
• Hyaluronic acid injections
• Prescription orthotics

You start physical therapy as soon as possible, beginning with a focus on reducing swelling and restoring movement. As your knee heals and your pain improves, your physical therapist adds exercise to restore strength. If you plan to return to competitive sports, you also receive sport-specific rehabilitation. 

If advanced arthritis has severely damaged the joint, your best treatment option may be knee replacement surgery.

Knee replacement surgery 

The team at SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE specializes in robot-assisted knee replacement surgery. They have extensive experience using Mako® Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology.

This advanced technology allows them to create a 3D model of your knee and use the image to plan your surgery. The robotic arm allows your surgeon to preserve the maximum amount of healthy tissue and precisely place the prosthetic pieces. 

Call the expert team at SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE if you need help with an acute knee injury or ongoing knee pain or book an appointment online today.