Knee Pain

What is knee pain?

Knee pain is pain, soreness, or stiffness in one or both of your knees. It can come from an injury or degeneration of the structures in your knees, like the cartilage, bones, or tendons. Knee pain can be particularly inconvenient because you rely on your knees to stand, walk, and run. You can get knee pain at any age, but it’s more common in older patients.

Your injury’s location determines the part of your knee that exhibits symptoms. The pain might come with several other symptoms, including:

• Swelling
• Redness
• Stiffness or immobility
• Popping noises upon movement
• Instability

Some knee pain is treatable with home care like rest and anti-inflammatory medications. However, you should book an appointment at Athens Spine Center regarding your knee pain if you can’t fully extend or bend your knee, have trouble walking, or if your knee is very swollen. 

What causes knee pain?

Like other joints in your body, your knee contains bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. Your knee is very complex, allowing some flexibility in more than one direction. There are lots of injuries that can happen to the various components in your knee, as well as degenerative conditions and mechanical problems that can lead to knee pain. Common causes of knee pain include:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
• Bone fractures
• Meniscus (cartilage) tears
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Kneecap dislocation
• Arthritis

If the team at Athens Spine Center can’t immediately identify the injury with a physical exam and a description of your symptoms, they might use an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to pinpoint an injury or find areas of degeneration within the joint. Using the results of these tests, they can plan your treatment effectively. 

How is knee pain treated?

Athens Spine Center offers several treatment options for knee pain. After reviewing the extent of your knee pain and identifying the cause, they might recommend:

Cortisone shots

Cortisone shots come in the form of a mixture of cortisone, which is a steroid, and local anesthesia. Local anesthesia provides immediate pain relief for the duration of the procedure, and cortisone relieves inflammation for long-term improvement. 

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections

PRP is a substance that comes from your own blood. It contains platelets, which clot your blood and help heal injuries, and plasma, the liquid base of your blood. Injecting PRP into your injured knee helps it improve faster and can bring relief from pain.

Iovera°

iovera° is a safe, innovative pain relief treatment. It uses extreme cold to stop nerves from sending pain signals to your brain. This effect is immediate, and can last 90 days.

The iovera° system is a handheld device that lets your doctor apply just the right amount of extreme cold only to the nerves they want to target—the ones causing you pain. This process delivers immediate pain relief in the time it takes for a routine doctor’s visit, and it doesn’t hurt. iovera° does not contain medicine. iovera° treatment is safe and does not damage or destroy any surrounding tissue.

This treatment can help you achieve pain relief, better physical function and reduce stiffness.  It can be given before or after knee replacement surgery. 

Consider iovera° if:

• You wish to delay surgery for a short time, such as until after an event or season
• You have risk factors that need to be addressed before surgery
• You and your doctor are developing a rehabilitation and physical therapy plan that should not be hindered by pain

For more information about knee pain and the available treatments, call Athens Spine Center today.