Knowing When Your Knee Is More of a Liability Than an Asset

The joints in your knees allow you to move in many ways. Strong enough to hold up the entire weight of your body, healthy knees can also pivot easily in multiple directions, so that you can bend, twist, walk, run, and jump.

However, because your knees are so complex, they can also be a major site of vulnerability in your body. If you suffer from progressive knee damage, you could lose mobility and see the quality of your life steeply decline. At a certain point, a bad knee may become more trouble than it's worth.

The good news is that many contemporary medical treatments and therapies can support, strengthen, and shore up weakened or damaged knees. At South Texas Spinal Clinic, our expert care team treats new and existing patients in the San Antonio and South Texas area with a variety of types of knee problems. No matter the source of your difficulties, we can recommend the best treatment plan to keep you on your feet and moving freely, without pain or difficulty due to problematic knee joints.

The many vulnerable parts of your knees

Your knees contain three major joints, and connect to the bones and muscles of your leg in complex ways.

• Your knee joint forms where your thigh bone (or femur) meets your large shin bone (the tibia)
• Your knees contain a joint with an inner (medial) and an outer (lateral) compartment
• This is then covered by your kneecap (the patella)
• Ligaments control the motion of the joint, keeping pressure under control so that you can stand and move with stability

If any of these components suffer damage, either due to an accident or trauma, or just as part of the general wear-and-tear of aging, you can lose functionality in your knees.

Types of knee problems

Many people throughout the United States suffer from knee problems. A few conditions account for a large proportion of all knee pain issues, so diagnosis will be an important part of getting you back on your feet. 

Knee problems often occur due to cartilage damage, depriving your knee joints of the cushioning they need to keep moving smoothly and without uncomfortable friction. You could experience thinning of the cartilaginous meniscus between your knee bones, or a thickening of the synovial membrane that separates your bones from their cartilage padding. Sometimes, aging also causes a lowered production of lubricating synovial fluid in the area of your knee capsule.

You could also develop painful spurs on the bones of your knees. Many patients who complain of knee pain have osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition which can worsen severely over time without medical treatment.

How we can help

The care team at South Texas Spinal Clinic can diagnose the causes of your knee pain problems and recommend the right treatments for your condition. Our goal is to restore and preserve the full functioning of your knee joints. We always start with the most conservative form of treatment possible, before proceeding to more invasive treatment options.

Depending on the severity of your condition and the exact location of your knee problems, we may recommend:

• Physical therapy
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to reduce pain and promote healing
• Cartilage cloning and transplantation
• Meniscus allografts from donor tissue
• Arthroscopic surgery to realign your patella or kneecap

You may ultimately need to opt for partial knee replacement surgery, replacing damaged or worn-down areas with strong, effective synthetic components. After partial joint replacement surgery, many patients find their knee problems significantly reduced or even eliminated.

To get the best advice on how to proceed with treating your knee pain, get in touch with the experts at South Texas Spinal Clinic today. You can schedule a consultation appointment with our staff at any of our multiple South Texas locations over the phone or with the online tool.