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Stiff and painful joints are a common experience among aging individuals, and get in the way of everyday life. Patients often find that simple tasks can become exceptionally difficult to perform, and seem to only get harder with time. Fortunately, many options exist for the treatment and management of joint dysfunction to help get back to the things you love. Working with a pain management specialist is the surest way to find a comprehensive pain management plan tailored to your unique needs. 

The early signs of joint degeneration can be subtle, and sometimes evade detection until the advanced stages of disease. An experienced physician can pick up on telltale signs and help slow the process before it becomes a significant burden. Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI is one modality that is especially sensitive for the detection of osteoarthritis, for example. 

Following diagnosis, there are a number of therapies to discuss with your doctor depending on the severity of the disease.

Some such joint pain therapies include:

• Physical Therapy is great to employ early in disease progression to learn better biomechanical movements that put less stress on your joints.
• Compression Therapy, like compression gloves or socks, can reduce the swelling associated with joint degeneration and reduce pain.
• NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, help to reduce inflammation and pain by blocking the body’s production of inflammatory molecules called prostaglandins. 
• Topical Agents, such as creams including capsaicin, can reduce pain and swelling and are often available over the counter. Such treatments can provide excellent relief for mild to moderate disease. 
• Injections, usually corticosteroids, can provide long-lasting relief from joint pain with injections only once every few months. 
• Surgical Intervention is usually the final option when conservative treatments are inadequate for relief. A great number of surgical procedures exist to meet a broad range of desirable patient outcomes. 

Dealing with joint pain can be a tiresome and frustrating experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Seeking medical advice early can prevent progression to advanced disease, and even severe cases can be managed with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Ultimately, helping patients regain functionality and enjoy a normal lifestyle with relief of pain is the goal of any doctor of pain management.

An Overview of Knee Pain

Knee pain affects about 25 percent of adults¹, although people can experience knee pain at any age. Knee pain can be a result of injury such as ligament injury or torn cartilage, or a symptom of conditions such as arthritis, gout, and infection. Among people aged 50 years and older, the most common cause of knee pain is osteoarthritis. The cause of knee pain determines what treatment plan is administered.

Types of Knee Pain

Broadly, knee pain is divided into two categories based on the underlying causes:

• Acute injury: This includes a fractured bone, torn ligament, acute tendonitis, damaged cartilage or the most serious condition of acute infection.
• Chronic causes of knee pain : This includes osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis patellar pain syndromes, chondromalacia, and IT band syndrome.

Symptoms of Knee Pain

Exact symptoms may vary depending on the cause of the knee pain, but generally patients experience:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Limited mobility
• Stiffness
• Popping sounds
• Others

When To Call Your Doctor

Contact your doctor if you experience the following:

• Knee pain and discomfort
• Inability to bear weight on your knee
• Instability on the knee, i.e. it gives out when you stand or walk
• Considerable swelling
• Inability to fully extend the knee
• Noticeable deformity in the knee

Risk Factors for Knee Pain

• Biomechanics: Changes in walking style, or incorrect form whilst lifting heavy weights, can make one more likely to get knee pain.
• Being overweight: The greater the stress placed on the knee joint, the greater the likelihood for pain.
• Repetitive movements: Kneeling for too long or doing certain activities like cycling, skiing, and running can predispose one to knee pain.
• Previous injury: Previous injuries such as ruptured ligaments or damaged cartilage can cause knee pain in the future.
• Incorrect exercise form: Performing squats with an incorrect form can shift the load from the muscles onto the knees, leading to an increased risk of injury and knee pain.
• Low flexibility: A lack of regular movement and flexibility can also shift the load off the muscles and onto the knee joint while performing tasks such as walking, running, lifting something, and bending down.

Joint pain has many causes, including many types of arthritis (e.g., osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout) and some that aren’t arthritis-related (e.g., fibromyalgia, thyroid disease, Lyme disease, depression).

Joint pain can feel different depending on the cause. It might feel like a sudden, sharp pain. You might notice stiffness, burning, or a dull ache.

With so many causes, the reason for your joint pain can be hard to diagnose. And until you know the cause, you won’t know the best way to treat it. A major feature that determines the treatment is whether your joint pain involves inflammation.

This article walks you through many common causes of joint pain, how they’re diagnosed and treated, and when you need to see a healthcare provider.

Knee pain is one of the most common issues we hear about at Rebalance Sports Medicine.  Knees can be injured by trauma, repetitive strain or as a result of deficiencies in motor control and muscle balance.  In any case, it is important that you have your knee pain assessed by a medical professional be it a physiotherapist, chiropractor or Sports Medicine Physician.  It is important to seek treatment for your knee pain early as possible to avoid developing stubborn compensations strategies that make the rehab process longer and more challenging.

Why is the Knee Joint Unique?

The knee is constructed for a lifetime of weight bearing and weight transfer.  The joints that compose the knee include:

1. Tibiofemoral joint – thigh bone to shin bone
2. Patellofemoral joint – knee cap to thigh bone
3. Superior tibiofibular joint – on the outside of the shin just below the knee connecting the two lower shin bones to one another.

The knee joint is complex due to the meniscal (cartilage) structures that sit between the tibiofemoral joint. These two cartilaginous ring structures deepen the groove of the knee, providing joint lubrication, nutrition and also provide sensory feedback to our brains.  The meniscus can be injured with a sudden movement, poor mechanics, or can get worn down with age and with repetitive poor movement strategies.

Along with the meniscus there are several ligaments, muscles, tendons and bursae that are part of the knee complex and each of these structures can also be the cause of knee pain.