Is Knee Pain Just a Nuisance or Something More?

If you’re suffering with pain or discomfort in your knee -- whether you’ve injured yourself in a weekend pickleball game or have noticed a gradual increase in joint pain -- the challenge is determining the difference between a temporary nuisance and a situation that needs a doctor’s attention.

If it’s the former, you may need nothing more than a little rest and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. But if there is something structurally wrong with your knee, seeking care quickly will help you get back to the life you enjoy.

Among the red flags:

• Soreness or pain that doesn’t go away within a week
• Discomfort that doesn’t respond to rest and ice packs
• Significant swelling in the knee
• Red discoloration
• Warm and tender to the touch
• Intense pain

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, your doctor can evaluate the stability and mobility of your knee with a physical exam. Advanced imaging can also be used to get a detailed look at what’s happening with the joint, tendons and ligaments that help your knee function.

Potential Knee Problems

Knee problems are encountered by people of all ages and can have many causes. Among the most common:

• Injuries: Your knees are vulnerable to a wide range of injuries, particularly if you are active in sports that involve contact (football), sudden changes in direction (basketball or soccer) or repetitive motion (running or biking). These activities can result in ligament tears, tendon inflammation, fractures and other conditions.
• Mechanical issues: Your knee can become vulnerable for a variety of reasons. A pain in your foot, for example, could prompt you to change your gait, putting unusual pressure on your knee joint. Likewise, injury or degeneration in the joint may cause a displaced piece of bone or cartilage to interfere with the normal movement of your knee.
• Arthritis: There are dozens of types of arthritis, though the most common is osteoarthritis – often referred to as “wear and tear” arthritis. The condition causes deterioration of the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones that meet to form your knee joint. The uncurable condition can become debilitating as the condition worsens.

Determining what’s causing your knee pain will help your doctor develop a treatment plan.

Treatment Spectrum

If you are dealing with an injury or mechanical issue, your treatment options could include rest, medications, physical therapy and minimally invasive surgery. Often, you can expect a full recovery.

If you have arthritis in your knee, treatment will initially focus on managing the condition. Physical therapy and medications (both pain relievers and anti-inflammatories) can help regain or preserve strength and flexibility in the joint. You might also benefit from therapeutic injections that provide a type of lubrication for the joint. Cortisone is a common injection option.

But for many people with arthritis, a total knee replacement is eventually the best option. The procedure has become common in the U.S., with nearly 800,000 procedures performed each year.

Choosing to have a knee replacement is entirely a personal decision – usually driven by how severely the ongoing knee pain is affecting your quality of life. Does it keep you from walking around the store? Does it affect your sleep? Or prevent you from picking up your grandkids?

Keep in mind that a knee replacement does not guarantee a pain-free life. So consider your pain on a scale of one to 10. If you are at seven or higher, then a knee replacement may be a good option for you. This way, you will still feel relief, even if you find yourself at a one or two on that pain scale after the procedure.

Precision Future?

Knee and hip replacements have come a long way over the past decade, with surgical advances – including robotic assistance – significantly reducing pain and post-operative recovery time.

The next improvement may come in the form of knee joints tailored to individual patients. Instead of choosing a premade joint that best matches a patient’s knee, your surgeon may be able to use a joint customized for your own knee – thanks to advances in 3D printing and manufacturing.

While still in the earlier stages, this technology could deliver even better surgical results, with the potential to reduce some of the residual pain that some patients experience.