Virtually everyone has some form of knee pain at some point. Minor knee pain is temporary, responding well to rest and home care. Other injuries can damage components of the knees, like cartilage and ligaments, and the extent of the damage may dictate the nature of treatment necessary for recovery.
Surgery is often required for certain injuries or degenerative conditions of the knee. The path from a healthy, pain-free knee to going under the knife can take years or even decades.
While total knee replacements are restoring pain-free mobility to many patients, the limits of prosthetic life mean that some patients may need to wait for their procedure to avoid additional replacement surgery later in life.
This means that many with knee problems need pain management plans. That’s where Westside Pain Specialists comes in. Dr. James Nassiri is an expert in knee pain management, and he can help you regardless of the injury or underlying condition that is affecting your knee. Short- or long-term, we can help you with an effective plan.
On the surface, it’s a question with a seemingly obvious answer. Relieving pain is the fundamental purpose of most knee surgeries, along with preserving function. Considering the history of knee surgery makes an answer less obvious.
The knee is the largest joint in the body, and it’s also one of the most complex. It’s capable of sustaining great force through the mechanics of movement with a range of motion far beyond that of the simple hinge joint that it superficially resembles.
With all that’s going on within the knee, it’s often hard to diagnose what’s happening when something’s wrong, even with diagnostic imaging.
Visualizing knee joint injuries once required open surgery, where healthy tissue is cut and pulled aside so the surgeon could see inside the knee joint. This damage to surrounding tissue contributes to a long recovery, large scars, postsurgical pain, and a high risk of complications.
Though arthroscopic surgery has been around for well over 100 years, it didn’t rise to prominence in the Western world until the 1960s and ’70s.
An alternative to open surgery, the arthroscopic approach uses keyhole incisions, about half-an-inch long, so a surgeon can visualize the inside of the knee joint without the need for large, damaging incisions.
As arthroscopy developed, special surgical instruments were added to the approach so the surgeon could carry out repairs through the same or similar incisions. This reduced the impact of surgery on healthy tissue.
The key benefits of arthroscopic surgery addressed many of the shortcomings of open surgery, most notably by reducing pain and shortening the recovery period.
Today, you can expect your pain to respond well once knee surgery becomes necessary. Total knee replacements have a history of over 30 years, restoring pain-free mobility by replacing knee joint surfaces with prosthetics. Knee replacements enjoy a 10-year success rate of over 90%.
There are always exceptions to the norm, so if knee pain remains after your surgery, schedule a visit to Westside Pain Specialists in Beverly Hills or Rancho Cucamonga. We’ll find the right solution for you. Call the nearest office and book your appointment today.
We offer treatment for neck pain, back pain, sports injuries, along with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Call us to book your appointment today.
