Understanding the Most Common Causes of Knee Pain and How to Treat Them

Your knee is the largest joint in your body, connecting your thigh to your lower leg. This vital joint has many important jobs, such as supporting your weight and helping you bend, walk, run, and jump. 

Since your body relies so heavily on your knee to support you and help you move, it’s incredibly vulnerable to disease and injury and subsequent pain and mobility issues.

If you’ve been plagued by knee pain, our team, led by orthopedic experts Anand Shah, MD, Mehul Taylor, MD, and Adam Amir, DO, at Valley Orthopedic Institute in Palmdale and Ridgecrest, California, wants you to know that we’re here to provide excellent diagnostic care and effective treatment.

In this month’s blog, we’re discussing some common culprits of knee pain and how we can help.

Arthritis 

Arthritis is a term that refers to joint swelling and inflammation. There are over 100 different types of arthritis, but osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type. 

Osteoarthritis is known as a “wear-and-tear” condition. When you have this type of arthritis, the cushioning cartilage in your joint wears away, causing the bones of your joint to rub against each other. As a result, the joint becomes inflamed, swollen, stiff, and painful. 

The knee joint is commonly afflicted with osteoarthritis, which can make it incredibly difficult to move around. While conservative methods, such as physical therapy and injections, can help manage pain, surgical methods may become necessary as the disease progresses. 

Knee arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that can clean out damaged cartilage and other debris, which provides pain relief as a result. If the osteoarthritis continues to progress, you may eventually need knee replacement surgery. During this procedure, your damaged knee joint is replaced with a prosthetic to restore your mobility.

Meniscus tear

Your knee contains two tough pieces of cartilage called the medial meniscus (inside the knee) and the lateral meniscus (outside the knee). These rubbery tissues provide much-needed cushion and shock absorption for your knee. 

Meniscus tears are very common sports injuries, since they’re likely to tear due to hard or sudden twisting movements used often in sports activities. A torn meniscus can cause pain, stiffness, and limited mobility. Without treatment, a torn meniscus can heal improperly and increase your risk for osteoarthritis down the road. 

If you tear your meniscus, our team can repair the damage with our minimally invasive knee arthroscopic procedures. Repairing your torn meniscus restores mobility and preserves the health of the joint. 

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear

Your ACL is a ligament that holds your knee in place and gives it stability. An ACL tear is another common sports injury since quick movements used in sports often stretch the ligament beyond its limit, damaging it as a result. 

While some ligaments can heal on their own, the ACL doesn’t. All ACL tears require medical intervention to ensure proper healing. However, not every case of a torn ACL needs the same type of treatment. 

If you aren’t an active athlete, conservative methods, such as resting the affected joint, taking anti-inflammatory medications, undergoing physical therapy, and wearing a brace, can help your knee heal.

However, if you’re young and participate in regular sports activities, surgical repair helps give you back the mobility, flexibility, and agility needed for your sport.

To learn more about what’s behind your knee pain and how we can treat it, schedule an appointment with our team by calling your nearest office location or using our online booking feature today.