Orthopedics Institute

The Most Comprehensive Orthopedic Care in the Region

Knee Pain

What Is Knee Pain?

Knee pain can occur from a long-term degenerative issue, such as osteoarthritis, or acute trauma, such as a meniscus injury. As the cartilage wears away over time and bone becomes exposed, bone surfaces rubbing against each other cause pain, resulting in an arthritis diagnosis. A person with advanced arthritis of the knee joint, resulting in severe pain that interferes with daily activity, is typically a candidate for total knee replacement.

Whatever the cause, the specialists at The Brown University Health Orthopedics Institute can help. Our orthopedic specialists have experience treating a wide range of injuries with both surgical and nonsurgical methods in adolescent and adult patients.

The services they provide include evaluations, treatments, and rehabilitation, specialized to your particular conditions and needs. This level of patient care, combined with the state-of-the-art technologies and resources available at the Total Joint Center, ensures that every patient who enters The Brown University Health Orthopedics Institute leaves with an enhanced quality of life.

Some nonsurgical procedures include lifestyle modification, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, or steroid injections. However, if nonsurgical treatments do not relieve your pain and restore the function of the knee, our specialists may recommend surgical treatment.

What Conditions May Be Causing Knee Pain? 

  • ACL injuries
  • Arthritis
  • Bursitis
  • Meniscus injuries

What Are the Symptoms Associated with Knee Pain? 

  • Inability to fully straighten the knee
  • Popping or crunching noises
  • Redness and warmth to the touch
  • Swelling and stiffness
  • Weakness or instability

How much does your knee pain affect your daily life?

Assess Your Knee Pain

How much does your knee pain affect your daily life?

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What If the Pain Is in the Back of My Knee? 

Although knee pain is common, pain in the back of the knee is less common.

Posterior knee pain can have a variety of different causes, some of which include:

  • Baker's cyst
  • Different forms of arthritis
  • Deep vein thrombosis
  • Infection
  • Injury
  • Tumor

What If the Pain Is in the Inner Knee?

Because the knee involves many tendons, ligaments, and other tissue, many things can go wrong. While the knee may seem like a simple hinge joint, inner knee pain can be caused by various reasons. 

  • Bursitis
  • Injury
  • Knee osteoarthritis
  • Medial plica syndrome
  • Rheumatoid arthritis 
  • Sprain or tear
  • Torn meniscus 

What If the Pain Is on the Outside of the Knee? 

Outer or lateral knee pain refers to the pain on the outer side of the knee. The pain can be around the knee or spread up the thigh. The pain may come from damage inside the knee itself or from swelling of a band of fibrous tissue. 

Although there is no single cause of outer knee pain, it's more common in distance runners, inexperienced runners, cyclists, after an injury that pushes the knee outward, excessive twisting or pivoting, and in people who tend toward being "knock-kneed" or "bow-legged."

Learn more about the specific causes of knee pain and explore treatment options. Make an appointment with our team of knee pain specialists

Knee Replacement

Our Total Joint Center is a leader in joint replacement surgery, focused on a personalized patient experience from initial consultation through recovery. With the most advanced and current technologies, and The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval, demonstrating our high standards for health care quality and safety, knee replacements performed at the Total Joint Center are far more than just surgeries.

Learn more about knee replacement



 

blue cross blue shield distinction



Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital Named Blue Distinction Centers

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island named Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals Blue Distinction Centers for knee and hip replacement for 2018. Hospitals are designated as Blue Distinction Centers in recognition of their expertise in delivering quality care and improved patient safety, based on objective clinical measures that result in better outcomes for patients.