Knee pain is a common complaint of millions of Americans, particularly those who play sports or lead a physically active lifestyle.
Knee pain is commonly accompanied by stiffness, swelling, weakness, and limited knee mobility. It is a common musculoskeletal issue that sports medicine doctors address regularly. A sports medicine doctor is a medical doctor who practices sports medicine – a branch of medicine focused on sports injuries (injuries that occur during sports, exercise, or other physical activities).
Let’s talk about some ways a sports medicine doctor can help you and where you can go for outstanding knee pain treatment in Kansas City.
Diagnosis
There could be many explanations for your knee pain. Knee pain can result from an acute injury like sprained or strained muscle or ligament, an overuse injury like a torn tendon, or an underlying knee condition like knee osteoarthritis.
When you visit a sports medicine doctor with a complaint of knee pain, firstly, the sports medicine doctor will find out the cause of your knee pain. For this, they will take your complete medical history, perform a physical exam in which they inspect your knee for swelling, tenderness, warmth, and visible bruising, and order some tests such as x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, etc.
Your sports medicine doctor may also recommend blood tests if they suspect an infection or inflammation. If needed, they can also perform arthroscopy (a process of using a long thin tube with a camera on one end to reach a diagnosis or provide treatment) to pinpoint the cause of your knee pain.
Treatment
The treatments for knee pain depend on what is causing the knee pain. Generally, a sports medicine doctor recommends medications, like over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers, along with adequate rest to alleviate knee pain.
In some cases, a sports medicine doctor may also suggest injecting medications directly into the knee joint to ease the pain. These may inject corticosteroid medications and viscosupplements.
Physical therapy is also one of the most effective, long-lasting, and side-effect-free methods for knee pain relief which sports medicine doctors often recommend along with other treatments like medication and injections.
A sports medicine doctor may also use surgical approaches like arthroscopy, ligament reconstruction, total knee replacement, minimally invasive knee replacement, partial knee replacement, or all-inside double-bundle ACL to treat your knee pain once and for all.
Rehabilitation
If you require surgical treatment of the knee or physical therapy, a sports medicine doctor can help guide you through the rehab process to ensure you regain your lost function, strength, and mobility in your knee.
Prevention
In addition to treating your knee problem and overseeing your rehab plan, your sports medicine doctor can also help prevent knee pain in the future. They will guide you on proper exercise or training techniques, equipment selection, and future injury prevention strategies.
Knee Pain in Kansas City
If you are suffering from debilitating knee pain and are looking for a sports medicine doctor in Kansa City, look no further.
At Midwest Orthopaedics,we have sports medicine doctors who know sports and how to help an injured athlete or physically active person get back inaction. We are not only experts in managing pain like knee pain but also have all your needs covered – including physical therapy services and surgical approaches.
To get rid of your knee pain, take a step forward and book an appointment with us by calling 913-362-8317 or filling out our convenient online appointment request form.
