When it comes to a knee pain doctor, Fox Valley residents from Green Bay to Oshkosh might consider making an appointment when they are experiencing severe pain in this joint. Remember that significant pain is never normal, so it is important that you have it evaluated as soon as possible. If you have an injury, prompt diagnosis and treatment can help to minimize damage and it will also help you to find relief a lot faster.
Ligament Injuries
Your knees are a very complicated structure. They are comprised of bones, soft tissues and bursa sacs. One of the soft tissues that make up this joint is referred to as a ligament. They work to make sure that your lower and upper leg bones are properly connected to each other. They also play a major role in making sure that your knee joints have the right level of stability. Injuries can result in one of the three primary ligaments in your knees becoming torn or injured. The three ligaments to know about include the posterior cruciate ligament, anterior cruciate ligament, and the medial collateral ligament. When one of these is torn, you can immediately experience significant pain. You might also have swelling and some people will not be able to bear weight on the affected knee.
Cartilage Injuries
Like ligaments, cartilage is another type of soft tissue in the knee, but it is not as soft as ligaments. It is flexible, but is also semi-tough. It covers the ends of the bones that make up this joint to ensure that they are able to move without rubbing together. The cartilage comes in the form of menisci and there are two in each of your knee joints. These include the lateral and the medial meniscus. When one or both are torn, severe pain is usually immediate. It can be hard to walk on the affected leg and you can also experience swelling.
Arthritis
While not an acute injury, when arthritis is severe enough, it can result in the affected joints being severely painful. In the most intense of cases, people might not be able to walk as a result of the pain. This is true for both of the most common types, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
You can see that when you experience severe knee pain, it is time to talk to a knee pain doctor. They can walk you through the diagnosis process and help you to get to the bottom of what might be causing your pain. This is very important because if you allow the pain to continue, there is a chance that you could cause damage to your knee that is not reversible.
If you would like to request a consultation with one of the knee replacement specialists at the Orthopedic & Sports Institute (OSI), please call (920) 560-1000 or request an appointment online. Additionally, OSI is Northeast Wisconsin’s exclusive provider of the Mako Arm-Assisted Robotic Surgery platform for total and partial knee replacement.
The Orthopedic & Sports Institute has convenient locations to serve you. In addition to the flagship facility in Appleton, you will find outreach clinics in New London, Ripon, Shawano, Waupaca, and the newest location serving the Green Bay area, inside the NOVO Health Clinic in De Pere.
OSI is a proud member of NOVO Health.