Knee Pain Treatment in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Traditional Ineffective Treatments

Injections:

Cortisone Injections-Short term pain relief for some individuals, long term increased degeneration of tissues with continued use

PRP/Stem Cell Injections- Often comes with a 5-figure price tag and not uncommon to fail at solving your problem

Bracing- Short term benefits, mild stability benefits dependent on type of brace, doesn’t maintain strength of muscles

Surgical Options:

Menisectomy- Understood to be no more beneficial than placebo/sham treatments. UK Orthopedics have publically claimed the lack of utility of these surgeries, but the USA doesn’t wanna lose the money gained by performing these.

Ligament repair- These can be helpful in certain cases based on age, instability, initial stages of healing timeline. However, its still recommended to try physical therapy/conservative treatments before surgery. Recent Studies show ACLs can REGROW after a few years which is AWESOME to hear.

Knee Replacement- Last option according to most surgeons. People often told to wait till pain and joint function is unbearable. Outcomes are good in many cases if this surgery is needed. However, many people have “bone on bone” and minimal cartliage without significant limitations and pain. This goes to show X-ray/MRIs arn’t consistently linked to pain or problems.

Medications:

Daily Anti-inflamitories- Prolonged use can cause GI bleeds and other negative side effects

Opioids- Highly addictive, effectiveness decreases overtime, often causes painful areas to become even more sensitive

Knee pain really sucks. In this frustrating reality, People like to blame sports, hard labor, and years of aging for “wearing out their knees.” You hear things like “running is bad on the knees” and “I’m taking it easy so my knees don’t get worse.” We forget often that the human body doesn’t improve with minimal activity. Without consistent, challenging stimulus to our muscles, joints, and connective tissue the body loses reason to stay strong and functional. And Imaging, the medical community KNOWS that imaging isn’t a good standard for understanding why someone hurts. People have BONE on BONE without pain and some have beautiful joints with terrible pain. Pain is complex and that’s why we’re here to help guide you out of it. Treatment for a painful knee often includes soft tissue work to calm sysmptoms down, progressive strengthening of the trunk/lower body, and understanding how to recovery from our activities and life stressors well.

Common Diagnosis of the Knee

  • Meniscus Tear

  • Ligament Tear (MCL, LCL, ACL, PCL)

  • Runner’s Knee (Patella-femoral Syndrome)

  • Jumper’s Knee (Osgood schlatter syndrome)

  • Iliotibial-band Impingement (Lateral knee pain)

  • Arthritis

  • Tendinopathy (Patellar, Quad, Hamstrings)

  • Instability

  • Bursitis

  • Nerve entrapment

How We Help

  • Education on which tissues are irritated and how to modify your life (hobbies, exercise, daily tasks) in the short term to fit the stage of healing you’re in. Help you gauge your expectations since most issues take months to rehab.

  • Manual Therapy Techniques such as Dry Needling (thin needles with electric stimulation), Myofascial Decompression (cupping), and Soft Tissue Mobilization (massage, trigger point therapy) to decrease pain and allow a window of time for your body to move better and speed up recovery

  • Progressive Trunk, hip, and leg Strengthening + Increasing Fitness so you can leave more resilient than before you got hurt.

  • Routines and Tools to dial in workouts and recovery to stay healthy for the longterm.

Don’t let your knee keep you out of the gym, off of the court/course, or feeling frustrated during friends/family time.