Regenerative Treatments
FOR KNEE PAIN

Osteoarthritis of the knee occurs when the cartilage of the knee is damaged or becomes worn, oftentimes simply from normal wear and tear as we age. It can result in swelling, pain and difficulty moving the knee leading to difficulty walking. Pain and weakness can lead to more weakness and instability of the knee which leads to more pain. Multiple types of regenerative medical therapies have been proven to be effective.

The knee has two menisci which are cushions in the knee made out of cartilage. The menisci can become injured and tear and lead to instability of the knee joint which leads to more pain. Tears can happen from a sports injury or from simple wear and tear and with aging. Symptoms of a torn or injured meniscus include: knee popping, pain with moving or rotating the knee, locking of the knee, stiffness and swelling.

The knee joint is supported by ligaments which connect bone to bone and tendons that connect bone to muscles. There are 4 important ligaments of the knee that can become injured, sprained or torn which then leads to weakness, knee joint instability and more pain. The 4 ligaments are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Tears can occur when there is stress on the knee from side to side motions or from an awkward fall or sports injury particularly with basketball and football players but also skiers, snowboarders, hockey players, soccer, volleyball, baseball and tennis players.The good news is that ligament and tendon injuries of the knee are particularly responsive to regenerative medical therapies.

Patellofemoral Syndrome is also known as Runner’s knee. It is characterized by pain and swelling of the knee due to inflammation between the knee cap (Patella) to your femur bone from overuse. Injury to this area of the knee leads to weakness of the tendons, causing instability and more knee pain. For athletes, Patellofemoral Syndrome is a recurring problem due to the weakness of the injured ligaments.

Quadriceps tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon that connects the quadriceps which is the large muscles on the top of the thigh to the Patella (knee cap). Typically, it is an overuse injury caused by too much running, jumping or squat type exercises, but can also occur from trauma, sudden increase in physical activity, poor posture and poor walking habits. Pain usually occurs in front of the knee just above the knee cap and can get worse after sitting down for too long or jumping, squatting or running. Persistent injury can lead to stiffness, swelling, weakness and poor mobility which feeds pack into the pain cycle. With patellar tendonitis pain is typically just below the knee cap and significantly aggravated by jumping, squatting, or climbing stairs. Athletes are particularly prone to this problem including basketball players and volleyball players from frequent jumping on hard surfaces. Quadriceps and patellar tendonitis can be a recurring problem due to the weakness of the injured tendons.