Knee Pain

Knee pain can be excruciating and make it hard to get around. If you have knee pain that’s severe or isn’t improving, visit Kellie K. Middleton, MD, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Dr. Middleton uses conservative treatments like physical therapy and injectables and offers advanced surgery to patients with severe knee pain. Call Dr. Middleton’s office to arrange a diagnostic consultation or request a knee pain evaluation online today.

Why do I have knee pain?

Knees are complex structures containing the ends of your shin and thigh (tibia and femur) bones and your kneecap (patella). Tough ligaments hold the bones together, while tendons secure your muscles to your bones.

Sacs of fluid (bursae) cushion the joint, and articular cartilage (a smooth, slippery coating) protects the bones and absorbs shock. There are also wedges of cartilage (the meniscus) in your knee that cushion and stabilize it. Any of these structures could suffer acute damage or deteriorate over time, resulting in knee pain.

Knee ligaments are prone to sprains and tears, typically from sports injuries. The meniscus can also tear, and the bursae are vulnerable to overuse, which causes inflammation (bursitis). Arthritis causes chronic, worsening knee pain.

Osteoarthritis is the most common. The articular cartilage wears down from years of joint use, hastened by injury or a genetic predisposition. The autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis is also widespread. It develops when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your joint linings as though they’re harmful organisms like viruses.

What treatments are available for knee pain?

Initial knee pain treatments include physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication. You might need a knee brace or support bandage to keep weight off an injury while it heals.

Dr. Middleton also offers advanced treatments like growth-promoting platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and ReNu® stem cell injections, and lubricating hyaluronic acid for arthritis. Steroid injections also help if other treatments aren’t effective.

Dr. Middleton might recommend surgery if your pain doesn’t improve or worsens despite these treatments. Injuries sometimes require surgery sooner if the tissues can’t heal properly without intervention.

What knee surgery might I need?

Examples of knee surgeries include:

ACL repair or reconstruction

With ACL repair, Dr. Middleton reattaches the torn ligament to the bone. When performing a reconstruction, she uses a piece of tendon from your body or a donor to rebuild the ligament before reattaching it to the bone.

Cartilage repair

The meniscus cartilage in your knee can tear under severe stress. Much of the meniscus has a limited blood supply, so injuries are unlikely to heal properly without surgery. Damaged cartilage is repairable using microfractures, grafts, or cartilage cell implantation.

Partial or total knee replacement

Knee replacement surgery involves removing the ends of bones too badly damaged to heal. Dr. Middleton then implants artificial replacement parts. She uses advanced components such as Zimmer Biomet’s high molecular weight plastic and cobalt chrome partial knee replacement implants.

Call Kellie K. Middleton, MD, or book an appointment online today for expert solutions to knee pain.