Knee Pain Treatment in Linden, NJ

Struggling with chronic knee pain? Dr. Calvert at the Institute of Orthopedics, Spine & Sports in Linden, NJ, is dedicated to helping you find relief. With years of expertise, Dr. Calvert takes the time to understand your concerns and provides personalized treatment to alleviate your knee pain, restoring your quality of life. Experience freedom from discomfort and regain your mobility with Dr. Calvert’s individualized wellness approach.

Don’t let knee pain limit your daily activities any longer. Contact our practice to schedule an appointment with Dr. Calvert at (973)-922-9515 during regular business hours and start your journey to pain-free living today.

Understanding Knee Pain

Knee pain is a common complaint that can significantly impact mobility and quality of life. It can arise from various conditions and injuries, including:

• Osteoarthritis: This degenerative joint disease is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage in the knee joint, leading to pain, swelling, and stiffness. Osteoarthritis is often associated with aging and overuse of the joint.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis: Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation in the joints, including the knees. It can result in pain, swelling, and joint deformity.

• Tendonitis: Overuse or repetitive stress on the tendons around the knee can cause inflammation, resulting in pain and restricted movement. Common types of knee tendonitis include patellar tendonitis (jumper’s knee) and iliotibial band syndrome.

• Meniscus Tears: The meniscus is a cartilage structure that acts as a shock absorber in the knee joint. Tears in the meniscus can occur due to sudden twisting movements or degeneration over time, leading to pain, swelling, and limited range of motion.

• Ligament Injuries: Injuries to the ligaments that stabilize the knee, such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or medial collateral ligament (MCL), can occur during sports activities or accidents. Ligament tears can cause instability and pain in the knee.

• Bursitis: Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs that cushion the knee joint. Inflammation of these bursae, known as bursitis, can result from repetitive motion, trauma, or infection, leading to pain and swelling around the knee.

Symptoms of Knee Pain

The signs and symptoms of knee pain depend on the type of knee injury for instance, a patient can have swollen and painful knee joint, joint creaking and cracking, sharp or constant dull aching, general knee stiffness, difficulty in moving the knee joint, buckling of the knee, locking and even stiffness following a period of inactivity. Common symptoms include:

• Pain: It may be accompanied by other symptoms such as swelling, localized tenderness and crepitation, or crackling sound, but the major sign is pain which may be described in terms of vary from mild discomfort to excruciating pain. Pain is often described as a burning, aching, sticking, or gnawing sensation in the affected area and varies between sharp or needle-like and an aching, throbbing, or numb sensation.

• Swelling: Pain or stiffness around the knee can be caused by increased fluid that accumulates in the knee due to injury or inflammation. It may also cause the knee to swell up, feel hot, or feel red to the touch.

• Stiffness: The ability to move the joint and its surrounding structures in various directions may be limited and there may be pain in bending or straightening the knee; To walk or climb up the stairs, or even standing for prolonged periods, becomes a problem.

• Redness and Warmth: Swelling occurs around the knee area and the skin covering the area may turn red and become hot due to some infection or inflammation.

• Weakness or Instability: Pain in the knee is typical and the knee may feel like it will buckle or collapse for patients with ligament problems.

• Popping or Crunching Noises: Other sensations, for example, of popping, grinding, or crunching may be thought to be coming from within the joint, especially in a disease like osteoarthritis.

• Inability to Fully Straighten the Knee: Some pathology such as a meniscus tear or free-moving bodies within the knee typically how the knee is set up can hinder the motion to the extent that the knee cannot go all the way up.

Diagnosis of Knee Pain

Knee pain can be diagnosed through a clinical examination involving an assessment of the patient’s history, examination, and imaging examination to establish the cause of the pain. The process typically includes:

1. Medical History:

Patient’s question-answer part: Since pain is the main complaint, the doctor will inquire about the onset, duration, and character of the pain and whether or not it is in conjunction with other symptoms. Other details include data on the use, the type of, and the extent of any recent wounds, physical exercise, or other past or current medical conditions.

2. Physical Examination:

A biomechanical analysis of the knee is also performed based on the patient’s current signs and symptoms in terms of joint swelling, point tenderness, range of motion, and instability. The doctor might also assess the position of the knee, plus assess for swelling signs and fever, which may point towards infection.

3. Imaging Tests:

• X-rays: Good for assessment of bone fractures, and malalignment and for judging osteoarthritis changes.

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Allows visualization of soft tissues based on tissue contrast, including ligaments, tendons, cartilage, muscles, and various pathological conditions such as tears, inflammation, and others.

• Ultrasound: Helps to visualize soft tissues and is also used to identify pockets of fluid as well as injured soft tissues.

• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan: Provides cross-sectional visualization of the knee and its structures that are valuable when treating compound fractures and other dysfunctions of the skeletal system.

4. Laboratory Tests:

• Blood Tests: These cover diseases that may take the form of inflammation or auto-immune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or infections.

• Joint Fluid Analysis: Assists in acquiring a specimen of the joint fluid through knee aspiration (arthrocentesis) for symptoms of infection, gout, or inflammation.

Non-Surgical Treatment Options for Knee Pain

The Institute of Orthopedics, Spine, & Sports located in Linden, New Jersey provides a general approach, which includes several non-surgical ways of managing knee pain for an improved quality of life. It means that these treatments are individual for each patient and that’s why efficiently and effectively meet patient needs and serve as high-quality treatments. Here are some of the most effective options:

1. Medication Management

In general, there are some aspects to managing knee pain which involve the use of drugs depending on the type of pain encountered. Different medications serve unique purposes in pain management:

• Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): Different drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen which belong to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compounds are used to alleviate inflammatory diseases or conditions such as arthritis or muscle pull. It can be taken orally and applied on the skin surface as a topical cream.

• Pain Relievers: Here are some of the over-the-counter medications that can be useful when managing mild to moderate knee pain: Sometimes, if the pain is more intense, specific painkillers may need to be prescribed to patients so that they can work, walk, etc.

• Corticosteroids: These powerful non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may help control inflammation and pain in the knee. Primarily used for short-term purposes, corticosteroids are helpful in situations such as rheumatoid arthritis or periods of muscle twitching.

2. Injection Therapies

The natural method of treating knee pain involving an injection is highly effective and does not require surgery. Several types of injections target specific pain causes:

• Epidural Steroid Injections: These injections administer corticosteroids around the spinal cord area known as epidural space to decrease inflammation and subsequently relieve pain, which could be due to nerve trap or spinal canal narrowing.

• Joint Injections: Joint injections in knee pain that stems from arthritis or degenerative joint disorders include the participation of a corticosteroid and a local anesthetic injected into the affected joint which has the effects of lessening inflammation and preventing pain and increasing the mobility of the joint.

• Trigger Point Injections: Concerning just some basic and individual cases of spasms and pain, trigger point injections involve injecting a local anesthetic alone or a combination of the corticosteroid and anesthetic into certain spots called trigger points to reduce pain and enhance functional muscle mass. This treatment intervention is especially useful for the condition known as myofascial pain syndrome or chronic muscle contraction.

• Botulinum Toxin Injections: Popularly referred to as Botox, these injections can help chronic knee pain, and restless muscle cramps by making the muscles less tense and reducing pain signals from the nerves that cause such contractions. It is even more applicable where there is permanent muscle contraction or rigidity such as in spasticity or dystonia.

3. Regenerative Medicine

The type of medicine that holds great promise in the management of knee pain is regenerative where the body’s organs are used to repair themselves. The last technology is platelet-rich plasma therapy which is one of the most sophisticated methods currently being offered at our clinic. In this procedure, the doctors isolate certain platelet samples and then introduce the samples in the affected area so that healing of the specific area can commence together with the subtraction of pains.

Contact Us

To make an appointment, you can call us at (973)-922-9515. You can also book an appointment online. For any queries, feel free to email us at iossmedical@gmail.com or visit us at 1444 East St. Georges Avenue, Linden, NJ 07036.