Knee Pain

Regional Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center

General Orthopedics and Sports Medicine located in Waxahachie, TX & Hillsboro, TX

About one-quarter of American adults suffer frequent knee pain, making it one of the most common reasons for poor mobility and a diminished quality of life today. At Regional Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center, with offices in Waxahachie and Hillsboro, Texas, the orthopedic specialists understand the mechanisms of knee pain. Robert Roye, MD, and the dedicated team of experts offer personalized treatments, ranging from physical therapy to procedures like knee arthroscopy and knee replacement. Book a consultation through online scheduling or call the office now.

Knee Pain Q & A

What causes knee pain?

Sports injuries, daily wear-and-tear, accidents, and other factors can all cause serious problems in your knee joint, leading to acute or chronic pain. Some of the most common causes of knee pain are:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears
Meniscal tears
Osteoarthritis
Post-traumatic arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Bursitis
Tendinitis
Tendon tears
Fractures
Patellofemoral pain syndrome
Osgood-Schlatter disease (in growing children)
Kneecap dislocation
Iliotibial band syndrome

Other factors, while not necessarily the main cause of your knee pain, can also contribute. These include obesity, history of knee injury, and frequent activities that stress the knee joints.

What are the signs that knee pain requires treatment?

If you have severe knee pain, or, if your knee pain detracts from your well-being, it's time to see the Regional Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center team for an assessment. Along with the pain, some additional signs you need medical care include:

Swelling
Bruising
Stiffness
Clicking when you move your knee
Weakness
Knee joint moving in odd ways

Many people with knee pain change the way they walk, so you might also realize an involuntary adjustment in your gait to avoid discomfort, a change worthy of investigation.

How is knee pain diagnosed?

The Regional Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center team first performs a complete physical exam. They'll carefully manipulate your knee joint to find areas of pain, movement problems, and stability issues.

The team reviews your past knee issues as well as your overall medical history, and may order imaging tests like X-ray, MRI, diagnostic ultrasound, or CT scan to find the root of the problem.

In some cases, you may need knee arthroscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure, to diagnose your knee pain. With a knee arthroscopy, your specialist makes a very small knee incision and places an arthroscope within your knee joint.

The arthroscope is a thin tube with a small camera, which displays images of your knee joint on a nearby monitor. Your surgeon can then see the areas that might not appear clearly on imaging tests.

If you need surgical intervention, such as an ACL reconstruction, your surgeon can then create a few more tiny incisions and use miniature surgical tools to perform the procedure.

What does knee pain treatment involve?

Initial treatment typically includes nonsurgical measures, including:

Physical therapy
Oral medication
Knee brace
Steroid joint injections
Orthobiologic treatments
Joint fluid aspiration

In some cases, conservative care doesn't offer adequate results. This is more common in cases of serious traumatic knee injuries like ACL and meniscal tears and with late-stage arthritic joint degeneration.

In these situations, the team can perform surgery like ACL reconstruction or meniscal repair using cutting-edge arthroscopic methods. The surgeons are also extremely experienced in both partial and full knee joint replacements.

To learn more knee pain treatment options, book your appointment at Regional Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center by phone or through online scheduling today.