What are the causes of knee pain?

Some causes are apparent such as tearing of ligaments or cartilage because of trauma at work or sport. However, one of the common causes of discomfort is anterior knee pain. Often patients are told that their knee is normal on an MRI scan or isn’t severe enough to require surgery. It can be disheartening to hear that you must give up sport or running because of this complaint. 

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What treatments does a knee specialist recommend?

Generally, most causes of anterior knee pain are due to biomechanical factors that require a comprehensive rehab program incorporating other disciplines, including physiotherapy, podiatry, and strength and conditioning. 

Sometimes, anterior knee pain may be due to kneecap arthritis or fat pad impingement. In general, both of these conditions need specialised treatment. 

In addition,  is diffcult managing a common knee complaint called patellar tendinopathy or jumper’s knee. Patellar tendinopathy occurs in younger individuals who participate in jumping or change of direction sports, including football, rugby, and athletics. In general, managing patellar tendinopathy or jumper’s knee is challenging. It requires a comprehensive rehab program such as heavy gym loading and extra exercises, including shockwave therapy, GTN patches, or an ultrasound-guided injection. Often, an MSK ultrasound is helpful to confirm the diagnosis of patellar tendinopathy or jumper’s knee. 

 

Another common knee complaint is arthritis of the knee – most cases of knee arthritis do not need surgery and improve with exercise therapy combined with other treatments, including medication and/or injections. Dr. Leyva has expertise in the non-surgical treatment of arthritis of the knee, such as PRP injections. This recent blog discusses evidence for PRP injections in knee osteoarthritis. 

Finally, common knee overuse injuries include IT syndrome and pes anserine bursitis. We manage both conditions with good PRP therapy. On occasion, we might consider a cortisone injection for IT band syndrome.