Knee Pain

Diagnosis

The Interventional Pain Doctors team of orthopedic and pain management specialists can diagnose the source of hip pain during a comprehensive history, physical examination, and imaging such as X-ray, CT Scan, ultrasound, MRI and/or lab tests.

If you have arthritis in your knee, platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP) may help. It uses parts of your own blood to help your body heal itself. PRP can help your knee feel better and work better.

Your thigh has groups of powerful muscles. The quadriceps, the adductors and the hamstring muscles handle high loads of stress. They may suffer from overstretching and tearing. This is called a muscle "strain." It is a common injury among athletes who play sports that require sudden starts and stops.

Causes

Knee pain can be grouped into three main categories:

• Injuries: meniscal tears, ligament tears (ACL), fractures, bursitis, tendonitis, IT band syndrome
• Arthritis: Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, septic arthritis
• Post total knee replacement pain: occurs in 20% of patients and can be chronic if not treated [EFORT Open Rev. 2018 Aug; 3(8): 461–470.] The prevalence of chronic pain after TKA is much higher than after total hip arthroplasty. [Beswick AD, Wylde V, Gooberman-Hill R, Blom A, Dieppe P, BMJ Open. 2012; 2(1):e000435.]

Treatment

Depending on the cause of your knee pain, you may be a good candidate for:

• Physical therapy, rest, ice, NSAIDs
• Steroid injection: Injections of steroids can reduce inflammation in the knee and may provide relief in some patients
• Hyaluronic acid injection: a viscous fluid injected into the knee joint to help lubricate it. Relief can last as long as six months and can be repeated
• PRP/Stem cell therapy: contains a concentration of many growth factors that reduce inflammation, promote healing and delay development of osteoarthritis [Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018 Dec; 11(4): 583–592.] [Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 23;22(11):5492. Doi: 10.3390/ijms22115492.]
• Radiofrequency ablation [Reg Anesth Pain Med. Jul-Aug 2016;41(4):501-10.]
• Nerve block and peripheral nerve stimulation
• iovera° therapy
• Surgery: Arthroscopic, joint replacement