Category Archives: Knee

Does Wearing a Knee Brace Help?

As the largest joint in the body and because of its exposed position, the knee is especially vulnerable to injury during sports activities. Knee braces, rigid or semirigid orthopedic appliances worn to support painful or injured knees, have garnered recent attention as preventive and therapeutic components in the treatment of sports injuries. Braces are made […]

Physical Therapy Following a Femoral Fracture

Physical therapy can help with most fractures, but it is especially important if you have suffered a fracture of the femur, which runs from the hip to the knee. This incredibly strong bone typically requires significant force or direct trauma to break. A femoral fracture often requires surgery to place the bones back into position. […]

Treating Degenerative Meniscus Tears

During the aging process, the fibrous cartilage between the thighbone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia) within the knee can degenerate and become prone to tearing. These cartilages—the medial meniscus and lateral meniscus—act as shock absorbers, thus protecting the joint surfaces from undue wear and tear, which can lead to arthritis. When you run, walk or […]

Does Minimally Invasive Knee Surgery Mean Minimal Pain?

When a surgeon uses smaller incisions and makes fewer muscle cuts to replace a knee, the procedure is called minimally invasive. While you can expect postoperative pain, your surgeon, working with us, can help you manage and minimize it very effectively. But it is important to realize that you have had very significant knee surgery! […]

Partial Knee Replacement: An Alternative to Total Joint Replacement

As we age, many of us experience increased pain in our knees. Most of this pain is the result of osteoarthritis (OA), which is the wearing away of cartilage that helps our bones glide smoothly. If nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, muscle strengthening, rest and weight loss do not relieve knee pain, joint replacement surgery may be [...]

Breaking Up Stiff Knee Syndrome

Arthrofibrosis, also known as “stiff knee syndrome,” occurs when excessive scar tissue forms around a joint, limiting range of motion and causing pain and disability. It can be a complication of knee replacement or anterior cruciate ligament surgery, with infections and bleeding as known contributing factors. Of the roughly 720,000 knee replacements performed every year […]

Capping Knee Pain with Physical Therapy

You may think you’re too young for knee problems, but the truth is that pain in the kneecap is common in young, active people. Knees are vulnerable to sports-related injuries, and simple anatomical differences like flat feet or weak muscles can start affecting your knees as early as adolescence. Symptoms of what is commonly referred […]

Build Up Your Middle to Reduce Knee Pain

Knee arthritis is the single greatest cause of chronic disability among adults in the United States. Many factors can lead to knee pain—arthritis, excessive foot pronation, muscle fatigue, even injury—but we have good news for you: Most chronic knee pain is preventable. The New England Journal of Medicine recently found evidence suggesting that exercise and […]

Don’t Shed Any Tears for Meniscus Tears

You have been told you have a degenerative meniscus tear in your knee. Don’t blame yourself―you did nothing to bring this on. A degenerative condition results from plain old wear and tear linked to aging—in this case, of the cartilage (usually the medial meniscus) within the knee that serves as a shock absorber. As cartilage […]

Sparing Your ACL with Knee Replacement

If you have a total knee replacement in your future, you may have heard about a procedure that retains the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), also known as an ACL-sparing knee replacement. The popularity of this surgery continues to increase, especially among younger patients. But is an ACL-sparing knee replacement worth it? First, you need to […]