Our Ramsey Pain Management Doctors Offer Comprehensive Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Arthritis is a condition that causes inflammation within an affected joint. There are actually several types of arthritis, with osteoarthritis being the most common. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health around 27 million people in the United States are currently living with this disease.

Any joint in the body can be affected by osteoarthritis, however the knee joint is the most frequently affected. A person with this condition experiences progressive degeneration of the cartilage within their knee. Normally, cartilage protects the ends of bones and allows for pain-free and normal range of motion. If this tissue begins to degrade and breakdown, you’re left with bone rubbing on bone–ouch!

At Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine, serving Ramsey, NJ and surrounding communities, our pain management doctors, Dr. Steven Ferrer and Dr. Kevin McElroy, along with their multidisciplinary staff, work together to provide effective, long-lasting, and affordable solutions for symptom relief from this common degenerative condition. Wondering if this could be the cause of your knee pain? Keep reading to learn more.

TOP CAUSES OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Knee osteoarthritis should not be considered a “normal” part of aging. While it’s true that it typically affects people over the age of 65, the simple “wear and tear” often associated with growing older is not always the main factor.

For example, having a history of a knee injury tends to increase your risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. Having a physically demanding job can also increase this risk. Additional factors, many of which are preventable through lifestyle changes, include smoking, genetics, bone/skeletal deformities, and being overweight.

COMMON SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

You may have osteoarthritis of the knee if you notice any of the following signs or symptoms:

• Knee pain while walking, climbing stairs, and standing up
• Joint tenderness, swelling, warmth, or redness
• Joint instability
• A feeling of grating or grinding within the joint (called crepitus)
• Bone spurs and joint space narrowing/irregularity (as seen on X-ray imaging)

You may also have weakness of the muscles around your knee, abnormal lower leg alignment, difficulty kneeling or getting off the floor, and even an increase in pain with rainy weather. The diagnosis is typically confirmed through a combination of physical examination results, patient history, and diagnostic imaging tests.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR YOUR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AT PROGRESSIVE SPINE & SPORTS MEDICINE

Here at our Ramsey NJ pain management clinic, we know that no two pairs of knees are the same. If you come to see us for help managing your knee osteoarthritis, you can expect to be provided with an individualized treatment plan that will be adjusted as necessary to meet your needs.

A few of the non-surgical treatment options we provide that have helped our clients in the past include:

• Physical therapy, to increase muscle strength, joint mobility, and walking/physical activity tolerance
• Acupuncture, to relieve pain
• Stem cell injections and other regenerative medicine techniques, to increase cartilage growth

If you do elect to have surgery, such as a total knee replacement, then our team can still support you in your post-operative phase to ensure your recovery goes as smoothly as possible.

Has your painful knee been holding you back from getting the most out of life? Let our pain management team here at Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine help you move with greater ease and less pain. To schedule an initial consultation, call us now at (201) 962-9199.