Is Knee Replacement Surgery Necessary?
How do you know if you need a knee replacement? It is a common question posed to pain doctors by patients. Knee replacement surgery is common, but is not always necessary! Due to advances in pain medicine, expert pain doctors can now offer many successful, conservative treatment options to alleviate chronic knee pain and other knee conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that you visit a qualified pain doctor who can assess your situation and provide you with expert medical advice and conservative treatment options.
In the United States, just under 1 million individuals opted for knee replacement surgery in 2017. Individuals suffering from knee pain are getting younger, with a sedentary lifestyle and obesity being partly to blame. Nowadays, many orthopedic surgeons are quick to offer surgical procedures to target areas affecting the knee joint. However, there are many risks and dangers associated with unnecessary surgeries. Some risks include:
- Anesthesia side effects – vomiting, headaches, stroke and heart attacks (rare cases)
- Allergic reactions
- Blood clots
- Excessive bleeding
- Wound infection
In addition to these risks, it is no secret that the U.S. is currently facing an opioid epidemic. Research is demonstrating the negative consequences associated with taking long-term pain medication and narcotics.
Fortunately, there are many successful conservative treatment options available for knee problems that avoid these risks. The procedures are safer, minimally-invasive and return you to full health at a faster rate. Let’s take a look at the latest procedures available in pain medicine.
The Best Conservative Knee Pain Treatments
The top goal of a pain doctor is to maximize health through minimally-invasive procedures. Advances in the field of pain medicine means that expert pain doctors now have access to the latest minimally-invasive treatments that avoid the need for knee replacement surgery. All of the following procedures are provided by Ivy League pain doctors who are leaders in the field of pain medicine. Let’s take a look at the best treatments available for knee pain:
- Genicular Nerve Block – the doctor injects the knee with local anesthetic. This blocks nerves from transmitting pain and provides pain relief.
- Genicular Nerve Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) – this is an option for longer-term pain relief. It stops the nerve supply by placing heated needles to prevent the patient from feeling pain. A small amount of local anesthetic can also be used during this procedure.
- Iovera – this is when an iovera machine (which is used for cold therapy) applies low or sub-zero temperatures to freeze the peripheral nerves. This produces instant pain relief without the need for pain medication.
- Steroid injection – the doctor applies anesthetic spray to numb the area before injecting anti-inflammatory pain medicine into the knee joint.
- Viscosupplement knee injection – the doctor anesthetizes the area before injecting viscosupplement medicine. This is when lubricating fluid is injected into the knee joint.
A qualified pain doctor will provide you with an expert medical assessment and subsequent diagnosis of your knee pain. Talking to your doctor will help you to discuss the best treatment options to suit your lifestyle requirements and preferences. Before committing to an unnecessary knee replacement surgery, consider visiting a Board Certified pain management physician who can assess you and answer any concerns you may have.
The Expert Team Of Pain Doctors | The VIP Medical Group
Pain doctors are physicians with advanced training in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of functional pain. They provide the latest treatments for knee pain that avoid the risks and dangers of narcotics and invasive surgical procedures.
During a medical consultation, your pain doctor will take your medical history, ask questions, and may use imaging equipment (for example, an X-ray machine) to gain an overall picture of the situation. They will then prescribe a treatment regimen of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) as well as physical therapy and a minimally-invasive procedure.
Now that we have an overview of the best conversative treatments to target knee pain, let’s take a look at the leading experts in the field of pain medicine who offer these outstanding treatments.
Dr George Hanna: Dr Hanna is a pain doctor who is nationally recognized and double board-certified. His areas of expertise include Pain Management and Anesthesiology. He received his training from the prestigious Harvard Medical School as well as Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr Hanna has a wealth of experience to treat pain conditions and symptoms and has delivered several lectures in addition to publishing many scientific articles in the field of pain management. As a top knee doctor, knee pain causes and knee pain relief are of the highest priority. He is currently the Director of Pain Management at the VIP Medical Group.
Dr Michael Nguyen: Dr Nguyen is a triple board certified and world-renowned pain specialist. He studied at Harvard Medical School and is known around the world for offering the latest treatments and his high levels of expertise. He is an expert in Venous Medicine, Interventional Pain Management and Minimally Invasive Cosmetics. Many of the latest minimally invasive treatment options are a result of Dr Nguyen’s pioneering work! As a top pain doctor, his clinic is a Center of Excellence and welcomes doctors, patients and athletes from around the world.
Why Do I Have Knee Pain?
If you suffer from knee pain, you’re not alone. Knee pain is becoming increasingly common, even among younger generations. This is partly due to the sedentary lifestyle that we can fall into, in addition to increasing levels of weight gain and obesity.
There are many reasons that you might struggle with knee pain. Here are some examples of the most common causes of knee pain in the United States:
- Bursitis – when your joints become painful, tender and swollen
- Dislocated knee cap – the knee cap changes shape after a trauma or sudden movement
- Tendonitis – when the tendon swells up and becomes tender and painful after a tendon injury
- Sprains and strains – when muscles and ligaments are stretched too much
- Obesity – weight loss can help alleviate knee pain due to less pressure being put on the knees. Increasing movement via daily activities can help you lose weight.
- Osteoarthritis – the most common arthritis and usually occurs with age
It is highly recommended to see a pain doctor if you’re struggling with knee pain. Knee pain can be extremely uncomfortable and can get worse over time. A pain physician will provide an accurate assessment of the pain and suggest the best conservative treatment options that get you back to full health. They will also suggest safe ways to modify daily activities that will help your knee pain and can recommend the best physical therapist in conjunction with your treatment.
Minimizing risk and maximizing health is at the heart of the VIP Medical Group. With a team of world-class experts in the field of pain medicine and the latest treatments on offer, you can be assured that you are receiving the best treatment in the country.