Knees have a heavy burden to carry even if you’re young and healthy. If you’re older, your knees can feel the pain much more. If you have knee pain, Joseph Hadi, MD, of California Pain Institute in Encino, California, can help. Dr. Hadi is a double board-certified specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain medicine who provides effective treatments for the many causes of knee pain, and he can help prevent the need for surgery. Call California Pain Institute today to find out more or book an appointment online.
Knee pain is common and is usually due to either an acute injury or the effects of wear-and-tear on the tissues and bones that make up the knee joint.
There are three bones in your knee, plus cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Any of these could suffer damage or deteriorate over time, causing knee pain.
Your knees are some of the most hard-working joints in your body, supporting most of your weight and often are required to bend and twist. Knees are also shock absorbers, taking most of the impact if you’re running or jumping. If you’re overweight, your knees are under even more strain.
What conditions can cause knee pain?
Degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis, is the most frequent cause of chronic knee pain. This type of arthritis comes on over time, as years of wear-and-tear start to cause cartilage erosion.
Without their protective layer of cartilage, the bones in your knees rub against each other, causing inflammation, pain, and loss of function.
Acute knee pain usually occurs when you're active, perhaps exercising or playing sports, or if you suffer a fall or other injury. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments can stretch too far, and even snap in some cases. Or you could fracture the bones in your knee, or dislocate the joint.
Specific injuries that Dr. Hadi sees most often include:
Osteoarthritis
Degenerative joint disease
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear
Meniscus tear
Patellofemoral syndrome
Patellar tendinitis (runner’s knee)
Articular cartilage injuries
Patellar (kneecap) instability
Iliotibial (IT) band injury
These injuries are all treatable but need expert care in the early days and ongoing physical therapy to restore function and prevent them from becoming chronic problems.
How is knee pain treated?
Diagnosis of your knee pain is critical to an effective treatment program. Dr. Hadi has considerable experience in the diagnosis of knee pain, as well as access to state-of-the-art diagnostic technologies.
Once Dr. Hadi makes his diagnosis, he tells you which therapies are going to be most suitable for your condition. Potential treatments for your knee pain include:
Activity modification
Knee bracing
Physical therapy
Traumeel® anti-inflammatory preparation
Zeel® Injection Solution
Hyaluronic acid injections
Steroid injections into the joint
Genicular nerve block
Acupuncture
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy
Stem cell therapy
Nerve ablation
Hyaluronic acid (HA) injections are also known as viscosupplementation. The treatment involves injecting a product (HA) that’s present in your body into the knee joints.
HA is a natural lubricant and can ease the pain and inflammation in your knees by helping reduce friction. Dr. Hadi uses Synvisc® and Orthovisc® viscosupplementation treatments.
In most cases, knee pain responds well to these conservative and minimally invasive treatment options.
To find out more about the range of innovative and effective treatments available for knee pain, call California Pain Institute today to schedule a consultation or book an appointment online.
