Knee Pain Specialist

What causes knee pain?

Acute injuries like fractures can cause knee pain. Fractures can be sports injuries, or bones can be broken in auto accidents. Any of several other things can cause fractures. Fractures are also a common problem in older people with osteoporosis, a primarily old-age disease that weakens the bones.

Sports injuries and joint overuse are also pretty common causes of knee pain, including:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
• Patellofemoral pain syndrome
• Iliotibial band syndrome
• Meniscus tears
• Patellar tendinitis
• Dislocated kneecap
• Bursitis

Arthritis is the most likely cause of long-term knee pain, and Osteoarthritis (OA), an immune disorder, is the most often seen form of arthritis. It comes on gradually after years of joint use that wears away the protective articular cartilage.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is also quite common. It usually begins during childhood or early adulthood when the immune system develops a fault that causes it to attack the joint linings. Dr. Humpherys can accurately diagnose the cause of your knee pain and provide the right treatments to resolve your problem.

How is knee pain treated?

After viewing your knee in more detail, Dr. Humpherys develops a treatment plan. In most cases, conservative treatments are all you’ll need. These can include physical therapy, medication, and changing your activities to reduce stress on the joint. Steroid injections can help relieve inflammation.

Depending on the cause of your knee pain, you might benefit from biologic treatments too. These include injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) to promote healing.

Would I need surgery for knee pain?

You might need surgery for knee pain if the tissue damage is too severe to heal itself. Conditions like arthritis that stop responding to treatment when they reach an advanced stage might also require surgery.

Dr. Humpherys is an expert knee surgeon, having published techniques on arthroscopic meniscus repairs. Arthroscopy is an alternative to traditional open surgery; it causes minimal tissue damage. Patients experience less pain and recover more quickly after arthroscopy.

The procedures that Dr. Humpherys carries out for knee pain include:

• ACL repair
• ACL reconstruction
• Meniscus repair
• Cartilage restoration
• Multi-ligament reconstructions
• Patellar tendon repairs
• Patellar maltracking reconstructions

Dr. Humpherys uses PRP and BMAC to improve repair results following surgery. Patients can also take advantage of the state-of-the-art indoor training gym and field to help their rehabilitation after surgery.

If you have knee pain that’s not getting better, contact Dr. Humpherys for an assessment. Call Rapid City Orthopedics today or book an appointment online.