Knee Pain Expert

Knee pain can be caused by trauma, overuse, or disease. Conditions that Dr. Weinstein often treats include:

Patellofemoral pain syndrome

This condition causes pain in one or both knees. It’s due to an irritation of the cartilage on the back of your patella (kneecap).

Patellar tracking disorder

Patellar tracking disorder is caused by weakness in the thigh muscles, ligament damage, or misaligned leg bones. These problems shift the kneecap, so it doesn’t sit in the right place.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a gradual breakdown of cartilage, a tough, flexible tissue that protects the ends of the bones in your joints. Knee arthritis is common because the joints bear your weight. It causes pain, stiffness, and weakness that steadily gets worse.

Meniscus tears

The meniscus cartilage in your knees protects and stabilizes the joints. Injury or osteoarthritis can cause the cartilage to tear. Since most of the meniscus lacks a blood supply, tears often fail to heal and may worsen over time.

Dislocated knee

A dislocated knee is one of the most serious injuries affecting this joint. When the bones in the knee separate, it can cause significant soft tissue damage.

Ligament tears

The knee ligaments can stretch or tear, causing knee pain and instability.

How is knee pain treated?

If you injure your knee, keep it raised, don’t put weight on it, and apply an ice pack to reduce swelling. If your symptoms don’t go away in a few days, you might need physical therapy.

More severe knee pain might require joint injections containing steroids to reduce inflammation. Hyaluronic acid injections help the bones to move with less painful when you have arthritis. If these treatments don’t help, genicular ablation might. It uses radiofrequency energy to damage the nerve in your knee that’s sending pain signals to your brain.

Would I need surgery for knee pain?

You’d probably need emergency surgery for knee pain if you have a severe injury like a fracture. Most other causes of knee pain improve without surgery, but Dr. Weinstein might recommend it in some cases, like a meniscus tear that isn’t healing. Ruptured ligaments, where the tissue detaches from the bone, can’t heal properly without surgery.

Knee surgeries Dr. Weinstein specializes in include: