Have an aching, creaking, swollen knee joint? Is your knee pain impacting your daily tasks and your ability to move around without severe pain?
If so, you may have knee arthritis – a treatable orthopedic condition. Let’s go over the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding knee arthritis, and where you can go in Bucks County for outstanding orthopedic medical care for your knee pain.
Why Do I Have Knee Arthritis?
The most common form of arthritis, which is osteoarthritis, stems from wear-and-tear of the protective cartilage inside the knee. Knee arthritis impacts many people, including young athletes and active adults.
Risk factors for knee osteoarthritis include the following:
- Being a woman (more adult females than males develop osteoarthritis in any joint)
- Being an athlete of any age
- Obesity (the extra body weight puts pressure on the cartilage and causes it to wear down)
- Genetics (arthritis tends to run in families)
- Repetitive use (excessive pivoting, lifting, stair climbing, running, etc.)
How Can I Deal with My Joint Pain?
Pain is the symptom which typically drives patients to see an orthopedic doctor for diagnosis and treatment of knee arthritis. Remedies can include one or more of the following:
- Physician-administered injection treatment into the knee joint for pain relief that can last for months
- Losing weight to relieve stress on the knees
- Wearing a brace or using other assistive devices for walking, such as a cane or walker
- Application of heat or cold therapy onto the knee
- Light aerobic exercise, such as walking or swimming
- Prescription pain-relief medication
- Physical therapy
If your knee pain persists despite these options, then you might warrant a knee replacement. Rest assured that hundreds of thousands of Americans have knee replacements every year, usually with excellent results.
Do I Need Knee Replacement Surgery?
After meeting with an orthopedic doctor and having a complete diagnostic evaluation, the orthopedic specialist will suggest a treatment plan to help you address your knee pain. The physician may try noninvasive and minimally invasive treatments first, to see whether they mitigate your pain and allow you to move without too much knee pain.
If these options have not worked to alleviate your knee arthritis pain, then a knee replacement may be recommended.
Orthopedic Urgent Care Center for Knee Arthritis
Patient Care Now Urgent Care in Fairless Hills, PA, is open seven days a week to take care of many routine and pressing medical needs for patients of all ages. We have on-site imaging and other tools to help us evaluate and treat painful joints and other orthopedic issues, including knee pain due to arthritis. We also have medical equipment such as crutches, canes, and braces, to assist you with moving around and to help relieve knee pain.
Feel free to stop in to our facility anytime for a friendly and helpful evaluation. You can fill in our online check-in form to let us know you are coming, and to reduce the paperwork once you arrive. For more information, call Patient Care Now Urgent Care today at (267) 202-6433. We look forward to serving you and your family!
