Ligament Injuries

• Sprained Ankle
• Knee Ligament Injuries
• Elbow Ligament Injuries
• Shoulder Ligament Injuries
• Thumb Ligament Injuries

Depending on the severity of the injury, symptoms may include the following

• Sudden & Severe pain
• Loud pop or snapping sound
• Inflammation
• Looseness of the joint
• Difficulty in moving the joint
• Difficulty placing weight on the joint
• Muscle Spasms around the injury site

Your orthopedic surgeon will first perform a physical examination to assess the patient’s situation. After the physical exam, the patient would be recommended a few tests such as:

X Ray

This involves use of invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones & organs.

MRI

MRI is a procedure that involves use of large magnets & radio frequencies to produce detailed images of organs of the body. It is useful in determining disease or damage in bones & surrounding ligaments

Arthroscopy

This is a minimally invasive procedure used for both diagnosis & treatment. The procedure involves insertion of an arthroscope into the joint through a small incision. The images are used to evaluate changes in the joint, determine cause of bone pain & inflammation & to detect bone diseases & tumours.

Ligament injury treatment generally depends on:

• Pateint’s age
• Patient’s general health condition & medical history
• The extent of damage caused by injury

Mild ligament injuries are treated with pain medications, ice application & muscle strengthening exercises. Sometimes a knee brace may be recommended.

In more severe injuries such as a ligament tear, treatment may involve surgical intervention. Ligament surgery may involve repairing or replacing the ligament. In some cases, tendon graft may be required to hold the injured joint

Self-care measures, such as resting the knee, keeping it elevated, applying heat and cold packs can help in managing knee pain.

Depending on the cause and severity of pain, the following treatment options might be recommended:

• Medications: Painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications are recommended to manage the underlying conditions. NSAIDS, Muscle Relaxants, Opioid are often taken and prescribed for acute onset knee pain. Due to harmful effect of these medicines in long term like gastritis, renal dysfunction, liver dysfunction, they are to be avoided for long term and very harmful if taken without consulting your treating physicians.
• Physiotherapy: Some exercises are advised to help you regain full range of motion, strength, power, endurance and coordination of the knee movements. The most important point to be remembered is that if physiotherapy is done in acute onset pain , it may lead to exaggeration of your knee pain and hence these are advisable only when the pain subsides.
• Arthroscopic surgery– Sometimes patients are advised for arthroscopic surgeries which is done using an instrument called arthroscope.
• Intra-articular injections for knee pain– This therapy includes injecting certain medications directly into the knee joint to manage the pain and other symptoms. Examples include injections of corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid or other viscosupplements
• Radiofrequency Ablation of the Genicular nerve for knee pain Radiofrequency ablation of the genicular nerve is done by Pain specialist to relieve knee pain in people who suffer from knee osteoarthritis . In patients whose pain does not subside with knee replacement surgeries have a last treatment option of undergoing radiofrequency ablation of genicular nerves providing immediate pain relief without any complications.
• Regenerative approach for knee pain If traditional methods fail to alleviate your knee pain, regenerative medicine could be a great option. Unfortunately, many of these patients opt for a surgical approach. Surgical treatments such as arthroscopy, subchondral bone drilling and knee replacement surgeries are often the last steps in the treatment cascade. Regenerative medicine options include:

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy: Platelets are rich source of growth factors which are capable of regenerating the torn and degenerated tissue. Small amount of blood is taken from your body and is processed in a specialized machine then the concentrated growth factors are injected into the torn tissues with the help of various machines which guide the doctor to reach the exact place of damage. This procedure is done as a day care procedure with no complications at all and is the best non surgical alternative to knee replacement surgery.

Stem cell therapy: It is a minimally invasive procedure, in which healthy adult stem cells are injected into the knee joint. These stem cells have the potential to decrease inflammation and delay or avoid the need for knee replacement surgery

Prolotherapy: It is an injection technique to stimulate growth and healing in the damaged joints. The injection generally contains no drugs or steroids. A safe solution of glucose is injected into your knee joint, which acts as an irritant and stimulates your body’s defense and healing mechanisms.

Regenerative therapy is done to arrest the damage of knee in that particular stage and hence prevent further damage and avoid undergoing for replacement surgeries.

Surgery– Knee replacement surgery is advised in last stages of the osteoarthritis. sometimes arthroscopic surgeries are suggested for ligament injuries.

What is Knee osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of knee joint where the cartilage present in the knee joint undergoes degeneration and gets torn up. The patient will have pain and stiffness of the knee joint initially and then as it progresses other symptoms like redness, swelling, increase in pain will occur depending on the grade of Osteoarthritis

Advantages of PRP Therapy

• Non-surgical technique
• Daycare procedure
• Fast pain relief
• Patients can resume work on the same day
• A permanent solution to the problem
• No side effects or complications

Is there any treatment for knee pain after knee replacement surgery is done?
Genicular nerve Radiofrequency Ablation is the treatment for knee pain after replacement surgery.

How can we take care of knee pain at home Routine walk, regular exercises to strengthen the thigh muscle, weight reduction, and proper sitting habits can immensely help in preventing acute attacks of knee pain.