Knee pain is extremely common, and can result from a broad range of factors, from athletic injuries and spills to chronic conditions, such as arthritis. Specialists at Downtown Spine & Sports in New York City can help minimize knee pain through proper diagnosis and an effective treatment plan. Luckily, addressing knee pain early on can help prevent the need for surgery.
Knee pain can stem from an injury, a chronic health condition, or overuse. Some of the most common painful knee problems include sprained ligaments, strained tendons, and meniscus tears.
Additional conditions that cause knee pain include:
While surgery is sometimes needed to minimize knee pain and heal an injury, less invasive options suffice in many cases. Home care such as resting your knee from intense exercise, icing it for 15-20 minutes every few hours, wearing a compression bandage, elevating your knee, and taking pain-relieving medications can go a long way. Stretching exercises at home and physical therapy can also help.
Your doctor may also recommend cortisone or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, or prolotherapy, a nonsurgical ligament and tendon reconstruction procedure that stimulates the body’s natural healing mechanisms to create new tissue in the weak area. Viscosupplementation injections, which lubricate the joint, may also be suggested.
Recovery time from knee pain depends on the condition, as well as the severity of your symptoms. If you wish to stay active while enhancing healing, consider participating in doctor-approved low-impact activities, such as swimming, as alternatives to running or hiking.You can generally resume full activities once you experience no pain when you walk or bend or straighten your knee. If only one of your knees was injured, it should feel as strong as your healthy knee before resuming usual activity.
We accept the majority of PPO health insurance plans. Please call our office if you do not see yours listed or have any other questions.