You’ve noticed an annoying “ache” or “sharp” pain in your knee for more than ten days? We at J. Clayton Spine and Health understand how chronic and debilitating knee pain can be.
If you’re suffering from painful or achy knees, it’s very easy to think that it’s “just something that comes with age,” it’s a bit of “wear and tear,” or that it’s nothing and it’ll go away on its own.
You may have tried stretching, resting, heat, ice, maybe even just pushing through it – but it doesn’t seem to be getting any better!
If that’s happening to you, you’re not alone – we hear this type of thing all the time. In fact, knee pain is one of the most common problems that we see in our Greensburg, Indiana physical medicine clinic.
When presented with invasive and expensive options, such as knee replacement surgery and continual use of pain medications, it seems like there are no good, nor long-term solutions for your pain relief.
What is Knee Pain?
As one of the strongest and most complex joints in your body, your knees can handle a considerable amount of stress, strain, and everyday wear and tear.
Not only do they hold your full body weight every time you take a step, but they also support a 5x greater load every time you jog, jump or even go upstairs.
Our clinical team at the Greensburg J. Clayton Spine and Health clinic is known for our long-term results and strive to find the root of your knee pain, and help you successfully resolve it.
Regardless of the cause, whether from an accident, or from an injury new or from years ago, all knee pain can lead to increased friction which creates continual wear-and-tear on the knee. This causes inflammation and swelling which can create more damage.
The first step is to pinpoint the exact mechanism of why your knee pain is occurring by evaluating your knee, its function, then paint a blueprint of exactly what has happened and the degree of damage.
Why Risk Knee Surgery?
Why put yourself through surgery if it can be avoided. Knee replacement surgery can be very expensive and reports of the total cost of this procedure vary with the hospital, physician and demographic region of the country. Most major insurance companies including Medicare cover knee replacements. According to the published statistics, the average cost of a knee replacement exceeds $45,000.
The pain management experts at J. Clayton Spine and Health specialize in the treatment of chronic knee pain and osteoarthritis and offer an innovative non-surgical knee pain relief program that can relieve your discomfort and restore joint function and motion.
J. Clayton Spine and Health's 10-Step Knee Renewal Protocol
Our medical team specializes in knee pain treatment without prescription drugs or surgery. Find out if you are a candidate for our proprietary 10-Step Knee Renewal Protocol by scheduling an appointment.
Below are some common causes for knee pain that may be affecting you:
Knee pain is often the result of one or two things:
Acute Knee Injury: On any given day, especially if you’re active, your knee is constantly working as you move forward, backward, and side to side, and as you stop, turn, rotate, and jump. Any one of these movements can cause an acute or sudden injury.
The most common acute knee injuries are:
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
- Fractures
- Torn meniscus
- Bursitis
Degeneration: this is arthritis from wear-and-tear, also known as osteoarthritis. In its many different forms, can cause a lot of knee pain as your joint is robbed of lubrication and your cartilage breaks down, causing painful and continual swelling.
Ligament Tears: ligaments attach bones to bones and therefore when torn can cause significant joint instability.
Medial Collateral Ligament sprain or MCL injury: MCL is a ligament tear on the inside of the knee caused due to twisting motion or direct impact.
Meniscal (Cartilage) Tears: Damage to the meniscus (acts as a cushion to the knee joint) caused mainly due to contact sports.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries (ACL): A rapid change in direction or an improper landing on a jump may cause ACL tears. This is the most common sports injury.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament injuries (PCL): A blow to the front of the knee while the knee is bent may cause PCL tears. This injury can be seen in motor vehicle accidents.
Knee Bursitis: The bursa providing cushioning to your knee can fill with fluid and become swollen from repetitive movements, causing redness and sensitivity. It can also be damaged from trauma associated with a fall, or with excessive time kneeling.
Knee Tendonitis: The tendons in your knee can become damaged from overuse. “Patellar tendonitis” is the most common. This will cause pain along the front of your knee.
- Here is a quick quiz to see if you might be affected by an acute knee injury:
- You have severe pain that limits your walking, squatting, or stairs.
- Your pain limits your running distance, speed, and performance.
- Your knee pain stops you from performing to the highest level in your sport.
- You have pain that stops you getting good quality sleep.
- You value the enjoyment of exercise and dislike the idea of being at “rest.”
Ask our JCSH professionals at your next visit about what can be done to help you with your knee pain. Relief is on the way!