Knee Pain

What causes knee pain?

Knee pain is one of the most common types of joint pain, and it can also be incredibly disruptive to normal daily routines. Your knees may be a part of your body you don’t spend much time thinking about, but they are a critical part of your everyday life. 

Not only do your knees enable mobility, but they also absorb a great deal of shock as you walk, run, climb, and bend. When you consider all the tasks your knees perform each and every day, it’s a wonder knee pain isn’t more common. 

Some of the issues that lead to knee pain include:

• Traumatic injuries
• Sports injuries
• ACL tear
• Fractures
• Knee bursitis
• Meniscus tear
• Patellar tendinitis
• Arthritis
• Iliotibial band syndrome
• Loose body in the joint

This is far from a comprehensive list. Anything that damages the bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, muscles, nerves, or other tissues in your knee joint can cause significant knee pain. 

What are some short-term treatments for knee pain?

• There are a number of treatments at Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine that can provide temporary relief for knee pain. Cortisone injections are a common approach and have been in use for many years. They contain a combination of a corticosteroid and a local anesthetic and relieve knee pain for a few months. This is not a long-term solution because the injections can harm your joint over time. 
• Another short-term injectable treatment is called Hyaluronic acid injections or Orthovisc®. These types of injections are called viscosupplementation and enable cushioning and lubricating within the joint. Results can last as long as 26 weeks. All injections are done under ultrasound guidance.
• TenJet Tenotomy

Are there any treatments that provide more lasting relief from knee pain?

If you’re looking for treatments that not only address knee pain but work to repair damage within the joint itself, regenerative medicine treatments are worth consideration. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections deliver growth proteins into the joint, where they stimulate new cell growth. 

Mesenchymal cells injections also boost your natural healing abilities. These cells hasten the growth of new tissues which in turn repair existing damage. Mesenchymal cells injections also reduce inflammation. Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) uses mesenchymal cells harvested from your bone marrow, while treatments like LipogemsⓇ use mesenchymal cells harvested from body fat. 

When you’re ready to explore these and other knee pain treatments, call or schedule an appointment online with Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine.