The knee is a vulnerable joint essential for handling the stress of athletics and everyday activities. Given the importance of proper knee function, it’s concerning that 1 in 3 Americans will experience knee pain; it’s the second most common form of chronic pain. In 2017 alone, there were more than 966,000 knee replacement surgeries!
Knee pain is a broad term for a variety of conditions, as many structures in the knee can ultimately become injured due to various lifestyle factors. These structures range from cartilage, tendon, ligament, or meniscus. Variables such as weight, gender, age, and tobacco use will all affect the health of your knees and how they age. Fortunately, surgery is not your only option to reduce knee pain and improve function.
The Integrative Medical approach is an excellent option for knee pain and its associated injuries. For starters, the scientifically proven combination of conservative treatments, like regenerative therapies such as knee decompression, passive and physical therapy, and knee joint alignment, can lead to long-term pain relief and functional improvement. Combining this with our other therapies is an all-natural way to improve your knee function and return to your favorite activities.
How Our Knee Pain Care Plan Works
1. Tell Your Story
When you arrive at our brand new, state-of-the-art facility, you’ll be greeted by two of the friendliest faces you’ve ever met. They will assist you with a simple intake form and escort you to one of our comfortable and elegant consultation suites. Then, your very own case manager will sit and listen to your story and document your areas of discomfort and loss. After your consultation is complete, the case manager will introduce you to all of our medical providers, who will individually perform an appropriate exam based on their experience and specialty and then determine what other additional testing, such as X-ray, MRI, CT or Diagnostic Ultrasound will need to be performed. Once completed, we will schedule your follow-up visit, typically within 24-48 hours.
2. Team Meeting
Between your Day 1 and your Day 2 visit, the medical, therapy, and chiropractic teams go into action. We pull together the clinical and intake data, the X-ray imaging, and the orthopedic and neurological testing results and determine a multidisciplinary approach diagnosis, utilizing over 50 years of healthcare experience. This enables every treatment team member to have a say in your unique condition, diagnosis, and purpose for why you want to be healthier. We can then produce a comprehensive and specialized treatment plan that will help you get better faster, address the cause of your painful condition, and effectively stay healthy to enjoy a future quality of life.
3. Accelerated Recovery Program
Our comprehensive program is designed to restore your quality of life efficiently and effectively. We may employ a variety of modalities to accomplish this goal including but not limited to Regenerative Medicine, Lumbar and Cervical Spinal Decompression, Class 4 Laser Therapy, Radial Pressure Wave, Neurocure, NeuroMed, In-House Active Therapy, Spinal and Extremity Adjustments.
4. Quality & Quantity of Life
At Harbour Medical, our goal is to quickly remove your pain points, address and correct the underlying condition of those areas, and provide you with the simple tools to maintain, preserve, and protect the new and amazing level of function and well-being that translates into your ability to enjoy the moments that give your life purpose and joy.
How We Treat Knee Pain in Stuart, FL
Comprehensive Consultation and Examination
The first step before treatment is to meet with one of our highly trained Case Managers, who will listen to your story. Clearly understanding your past and future life goals gives us an accurate understanding of where to begin our examination in determining the root cause of what’s triggering your knee pain. Without an accurate diagnosis, the treatment will not be successful.
Then, the Case Manager will introduce you to one of our medical providers, who will perform a complete physical, neurological, and biomechanical examination. Additionally, we’ll perform a series of X-rays or a diagnostic ultrasound to ensure an accurate diagnosis.
With the root cause of your knee pain found, we can design your customized treatment plan and help you address it.
Knee-on-Trac Joint Decompression
The most common reason for getting knee replacement surgery is simply because the knee has completely worn down. The joint space is gone, the menisci have worn down, and the femur and tibia bones are basically touching. This operation uses hardware that “replaces” the knee joint space altogether. It is a costly maneuver and doesn’t always lead to pain relief for sufferers of this type of knee pain.
At Harbour Medical Centers, we utilize technology that decompresses the knee joint, opens up joint spacing, and stimulates healing. This device is known as the Knee-on-Trac, and it’s the only product on the market of its kind.
During treatment on the Knee-on-Trac, you sit comfortably in a chair with your knee secured to the device. The device will slowly and gently stretch the knee back and forth for five to ten minutes. This treatment decreases inflammation, increases hydration to the joint, increases the knee’s range of motion, and speeds up the healing process. Our treatment programs will take you through a series of visits that will provide regular care to the knees to help restore motion and function to the affected knee joint.
Soft Tissue Therapy
In many cases of knee injury, the muscles around the knees can be tight, and we offer several non-invasive therapies that will help balance the knee and significantly reduce stress on the joint. We utilize advanced passive treatments:
- Class 4 Laser
- Radial Pressure Wave
- NeuroMed
- Neurocure
With these therapies, we will address the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and tibial muscles to help improve their mobility, reduce restrictions, and support proper knee motion.
Advanced Injections
Our medical providers can utilize safe, scientifically proven joint regenerative injections that include Platelet Rich Plasma, Hyaluronic Acid, and many other products known to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, cartilage, muscles, and joints.
Joint Manipulation
Most injuries related to the knee are rooted in a history of poor functional movement. This can range from immobility, weakness, or imbalances that fail to properly support your knee’s integrity. Functional issues above and below the knee can be involved in many cases. Our goal in joint manipulation is to improve joint mobility and restore proper range of motion. With proper function and movement, the knee and other joints can be more pain-free, even with arthritic conditions.
Common Causes of Knee Pain in Stuart, FL
Degenerative Arthritis (Osteoarthritis)
Perhaps the most common cause of knee pain, especially chronic knee pain, is degenerative arthritis. This condition is classically caused by wear and tear over years and even decades of use. It can also be accelerated by being overweight or obese due to the increased weight stress applied to the knee joints. It typically appears on one side first but can affect both knees over time. From a medical standpoint, it is generally treated with NSAID medications, knee injections, and, eventually, knee replacement surgery. However, there are more natural options available to treat this common condition.
At Harbour Medical Centers, we address knee pain by getting to the root cause of the issue. If there is soft tissue damage, we use advanced injections. If there is alignment or structural imbalance, we use joint manipulation techniques. If there is muscle weakness, instability, spasm, or range of motion loss, we can employ our passive therapies and Knee-on-Trac joint decompression. Overall, many effective, conservative treatments for degenerative arthritis are worth trying before moving on to more invasive treatment methods.
Torn Meniscus
A torn meniscus is another common sports injury that occurs with forceful twisting of the knee joint. The meniscus is the thin fibrocartilage layer that lines the knee joint’s bony surfaces. When you plant your foot, the knee bones come extremely close together. When rotation of the knee occurs, whether intentional or not, the bones push into the meniscus, causing anything up to a complete tear of the cartilage. This can be very painful and cause swelling and inflammation in and around the knee.
Surgery is a common route for treating a torn meniscus, but it is not always successful. More conservative methods are just as effective in rehabilitating even completely torn menisci. Advanced Injections, including deep tissue laser, and therapeutic exercises, can be very effective for healing torn menisci, but it can take time to recover completely.
Runner’s Knee
Some knee injuries result from overuse or repetitive motion; a particularly common one is Runner’s knee. This condition causes pain in the front of the knee, either around or behind the kneecap. It develops over time due to repetitive activities such as jogging or running. It can cause “creaking” and “cracking” noises to occur in addition to chronic knee stiffness. The amount of force and stress placed on the knee joint during this activity causes the surrounding tissue to become inflamed. However, there is usually no damage to any bones, ligaments, or muscle tendons.
Sometimes, Runner’s knee will require some time off of running to let the tissue heal and the inflammation subside. Advanced Injections and deep tissue laser, which uses light energy to penetrate deep into the tissue and accelerate the healing process by decreasing inflammation, can also effectively manage the condition. Runners are some of the most dedicated athletes on the planet, and the better they can manage conditions like runner’s knee, the more they can stay out there doing what they love.
ACL Injury
Within the knee joint, two ligaments connect the thigh bone to the leg bone: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Of these 2, the ACL is far more likely to be injured. ACL injuries can happen in everyday life, but they most notably occur in the context of sports due to the mechanism of injury. In sports requiring rapid change of direction, such as soccer, basketball, or football, the ACL can be damaged when the knee rotates while the foot is planted. This torquing motion causes fibers in the ACL to tear and, in the worst cases, completely rupture.
ACL treatment depends largely on the extent of the damage. If the ligament is damaged but still intact, it can be rehabilitated through Advanced Injections, rehabilitation exercises, deep tissue vibration therapy, as well as many other therapies.
Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
The iliotibial band, more commonly known as the IT band, is the longest tendon in the human body. It is the tendon of a hip muscle called the tensor fascia lata, and it spans down the outside of the thigh down to its attachment site past the knee joint. You can feel IT band irritation anywhere along the tendon, but it is especially common to feel discomfort on the outside of the knee. This condition tends to affect athletes such as distance runners and cyclists due to their repetitive movements.
At Harbour Medical Centers, our doctors utilize a combination of Advanced Injections, Class 4 Laser, Radial Pressure Wave, Neurocure, and NeuroMed technologies to help facilitate the healing process of the IT band. They will also provide exercises to help provide more muscle balance to the quadriceps, which can help further stabilize the knee joint. IT band syndrome can be painful, but recovery is usually very straightforward and does not take very long to heal.
Check Out Our Location Near You
1411 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL 34996
Frequently Asked Questions
When should you see an Integrated Medical Center for knee pain?
As quickly as possible. Pain is usually the last symptom to arrive when a problem exists, so by the time you experience knee pain, the issue has already been there for some time. It is crucial to address knee pain early to minimize the damage and make the best recovery possible. The longer you wait to address knee pain, the worse it gets. Stop by Harbour Medical Centers and see how they can help you.
How do I know if my knee pain is serious?
Your knee pain is serious if it’s interfering with your everyday life. Work, hobbies, family activities, etc., are an important part of your quality of life. If your knee pain is disrupting these things, you should get it checked out to determine the best options to help fix this problem.
Is walking good for the knee?
Exercise is definitely good for knee pain, and walking is one of the best types of exercise you can do. Walking exercises the leg muscles that move and support the knee while not applying much force to the joint. The key to exercise is to do it consistently. Walking is very accessible, making it an excellent option if you have knee pain.
Is it better to use heat or ice for knee pain?
Most types of knee pain involve inflammation, so we recommend you use ice when treating knee pain at home. Ice will push inflammation away from the source, which relieves and soothes the achy joint. Heat can attract more blood flow, which could increase joint inflammation. Therefore, it is best to avoid heat for knee pain.
What does arthritis in the knee feel like?
If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, your knee will be painful and stiff at times. It may only affect one knee, especially if you’ve injured it in the past, or you could have it in both. The pain may feel worse at the end of the day or when you move your knee, and it may improve when you rest.
Free Consultation
Book a complimentary consultation, exam, and any necessary X-rays with our expert, multidisciplinary providers and case mangers. ($270 Value)