Each of the joints in your body is important and plays a key role, and your knees rank pretty high on the list. Given that your knees provide critical mobility and support, it pays to keep these major joints happy and healthy.
Unfortunately, knees are commonly in the line of fire when it comes to pain and injury — knee pain affects about 25% of adults, and this number is growing, thanks to an aging population. And ignoring this knee pain is never a good idea.
To explain why, we turn to the experienced team here at Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas. While we help patients with painful conditions of all kinds, we see our fair share of people who are hobbled by knee pain. Here’s what we want you to know and how we can help alleviate your discomfort.
Let’s set the scene a little and review the anatomy of your knees so we can get a better idea of the various ways they can be injured and damaged.
Your knees, the largest joints in your body, bring together three bones:
These bones are held together by an assortment of soft tissues, including ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and muscles.
Now, let’s get specific about knee issues. The list is long, so we’re going to touch on those that we see with regularity:
While some of these, such as ACL tears, are acute injuries, many are degenerative and progressive problems. Whether the knee pain is potentially chronic and degenerative or acute, early intervention can make all the difference in your outcome.
Whenever you have pain in your knee that shows no signs of getting better after a day or two of icing and rest, you should seek our help.
For example, perhaps you have some minor damage in one of the connective tissues, such as a ligament or meniscus tear. If you continue to use your knee as you normally would, you very much run the risk of turning a minor tear into a more serious one that might require surgery. Or a tendon with tendonitis can be pushed to a partial or complete rupture if you’re not careful.
So, it's not only important to come see us for pain relief for your knee problem, it's also important to get the correct diagnosis so you know what you’re up against. This way, you can modify your activities according to what’s ailing your knee to give it the time and space it needs to heal.
Even if your knee pain is due to degenerative issues, such as arthritis, early intervention can help slow the progression of the disease, which is important if you value moving freely.
The bottom line is that knees are too important to leave to chance. So, if you’re struggling with a painful knee, please make an appointment to see us sooner rather than later. To schedule an appointment, call or message one of our offices in Waco, Arlington, Wichita Falls, or Fort Worth, Texas, today.
