If we polled medical care providers throughout the country about the common issues they treat, knee pain would almost certainly make this list. It’s one of the most prevalent issues for people of all ages.
Unfortunately, some providers are quick to recommend surgery to correct the problem. If you’ve been told that you need to go under the knife, though, the issue might be with the recommendation, not with your knee.
Here at Hawai’i Pain and Spine, Dr. Jonathan Carlson has a myriad of nonsurgical ways to address knee pain. Visit our office on the Windward side of O’ahu in Kailua so Dr. Carlson can evaluate your knee and create a personalized treatment plan for you.
To give you an idea of what he might recommend, let’s look at some of the nonsurgical treatments Dr. Carlson most commonly uses for knee pain.
Dr. Carlson has a wide arsenal of injection-based treatments from which he can pull.
If you're dealing with a slow-healing injury or a chronic condition like arthritis, he may be able to use your body’s own regenerative power to treat the issue. With platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, for example, he directs healing growth factors from your blood into your knee. This can help with a variety of knee issues, including arthritis.
If you’re having knee pain because of a lack of lubrication in the joint, Dr. Carlson can address that with joint fluid replacement. Also called viscosupplementation, the injections help your joint glide more smoothly and painlessly.
Dr. Carlson can also inject steroids into your knee to target inflammation, a leading cause of knee pain.
When you come see our team for knee care, we talk with you about your lifestyle. The activities you’re doing every day could be contributing to your knee pain, whether that’s standing a lot for work or your athletic endeavour of choice.
If lifestyle is a factor, we work with you to make modifications to support your knee. That might mean adjusting your activities or implementing something extra, like a brace you wear when you’re working out.
Physical therapy aims to stretch and strengthen the parts of your body that need it. When it comes to your knee, that could mean improving strength in the muscles that support the knee to help it move with less discomfort.
Dr. Carlson tailors a physical therapy plan to you. In addition to the exercises you might expect, it could also include treatment like kinesio taping and hot or cold therapy.
While Dr. Carlson always explores nonsurgical options first, there are some instances when you truly need a procedure. If you tore a ligament, for example, it might not be able to heal without surgical intervention.
Dr. Carlson only recommends surgery when appropriate conservative treatments have already been tried or it’s necessary due to the injury. And if your knee does require a procedure, it can often be performed minimally invasively, helping to lower your risk of complications and speed your recovery.
This is only a brief overview of the many treatments Dr. Carlson offers for knee pain. To see how he can help with your discomfort, call our office to schedule your appointment at Hawai’i Pain & Spine today.
