Knee Specialist

What conditions can affect the knee?

Knees are vulnerable to damage because they support most of your body weight and endure a lot of strain whenever you’re physically active. Work and sports injuries are a common cause of acute knee pain and instability, with overuse injuries and degenerative conditions being responsible for a great deal of chronic knee pain.

Conditions that Dr. Tobin sees most often include:

Ligament damage

Four ligaments in each knee connect the bones forming the joint. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) often get stretched or torn when playing sports. You can also damage the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Meniscus tears

The meniscus is a piece of cartilage. There are two in each knee, helping cushion and stabilize the joint. The meniscus can tear under enough strain, causing severe pain and joint instability.

Arthritis

As weight-bearing joints, knees are prone to arthritis. There are numerous types of arthritis, which can cause symptoms ranging from wear-and-tear to immune system dysfunction. What they all have in common is chronic joint pain, stiffness, and weakness that worsen over time.

Fractures and dislocations

There are four bones in your knee; the bottom of your thighbone (femur), the tops of the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula), and the kneecap (patella). Fractures (breaks in the bone) could happen to one or several of these bones. Dislocations often involve the kneecap.

You could also develop overuse injuries like bursitis and patellofemoral pain syndrome in your knee.

How are knee conditions treated?

Most causes of knee pain improve with conservative treatments such as:

• Rest and activity modification
• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Custom orthotics
• Thermal therapy
• Stretching and strengthening exercises
• Mobility devices
• Knee braces
• Steroid injections

You might need urgent knee surgery if you have a complex injury, such as a fracture that wouldn’t heal properly if left untreated. For most other knee conditions, non-surgical treatments work very well. Still, there are times when tissues can’t heal, or a condition like arthritis stops responding to conservative therapies.

What knee surgery might I need?

Dr. Tobin can perform surgery to reattach tendons to bones, reconstruct the ligaments, and trim or remove damaged cartilage. He can also do knee replacement surgery if the joint isn’t repairable. For most of these procedures, Dr. Tobin uses arthroscopic techniques.

An arthroscope is a slim tubular instrument fitted with a light and a camera. Dr. Tobin makes small incisions in your knee and inserts the arthroscope. He uses the images the instrument sends to his monitor to do the surgery. Arthroscopic knee surgery is far less invasive than open surgery, causing only minor damage to the soft tissues.

For expert treatment of your knee condition, including workers’ compensation surgery, call Tobin Bone and Joint Surgery or book an appointment online today.