Knee Pain

What is Knee Pain?

Knee pain has many sources, and treating it well starts with identifying the right one. Osteoarthritis is the most common cause, involving gradual wear of the articular cartilage and underlying bone. As the joint space narrows, pain arises from bone-on-bone contact, local inflammation, and muscle spasm around the joint.

Other frequent causes include patellofemoral syndrome (pain behind the kneecap), meniscus or cartilage tears, ligament injuries, and bursitis (inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs cushioning the joint). Inflammatory arthritis conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis can also target the knee.

Pain quality, timing, and which movements trigger it all help point to the source. We use physical examination and, where needed, imaging to confirm before recommending any procedure.

Symptoms

• Pain on the inner, outer, or front of the knee depending on the structure involved
• Stiffness that is worst first thing in the morning or after sitting for a period
• Swelling or a sense of fluid inside the joint
• A grinding, clicking, or locking sensation with movement
• Pain that worsens on stairs, squatting, or prolonged walking
• Giving way or instability, particularly with ligament involvement

How We Treat It

For knee osteoarthritis and cartilage-related pain, intra-articular injections are often the most efficient first step. Corticosteroid injections bring down acute inflammation quickly. Hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation restores lubrication in joints where the natural fluid has thinned, and typically provides relief over several months. For tendon and cartilage degeneration, PRP therapy uses your own growth factors to support tissue repair.

Where there is a tendinopathy component, shockwave therapy delivers focused acoustic energy to stimulate healing in the affected tissue without injection. We combine these with physiotherapy to rebuild the muscle support around the joint, which reduces load on the damaged structures and helps sustain the benefit of any procedure we do.