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read moreHow to determine if you are a candidate for knee surgery
Knee pain can develop due to a number of reasons, such as sports-related injuries, workplace injuries or breakdown due to the natural aging process. Knee pain can be particularly frustrating because for the active, it can take away your ability to enjoy your favorite activities and pastimes. If you’re used to being active with friends and family, it can be all the more devastating as the pain and reduced function can make you feel isolated.
Although many knee injuries do heal with time and proper treatment, knee surgery can start to look like a possibility if it is determined that the damage is too severe or if conservative options aren’t offering relief. Even age-related conditions like arthritis can be effectively managed through nonsurgical means, but surgery is still necessary in certain cases. Fully educating yourself on your options and understanding the full scope of the treatment process is an extremely important part of determining if you are a good candidate for knee surgery.
At Phoenix Spine & Joint, we’re committed to patient education and believe that informed patients are empowered patients. We want to help you make the best choice for your needs so you can get back to the quality of life you deserve.
Pursue nonsurgical treatments before considering knee surgery
For many cases of knee pain, most doctors will recommend starting treatment with a combination of rest, ice, compression and elevation to help manage symptoms while the progress of the condition is monitored. Other nonsurgical treatment options for knee pain include:
If you pursue a full course of conservative treatment and symptoms have not improved enough to return to regular activity, surgery can start to become a serious consideration.
Who is a candidate for knee surgery?
At Phoenix Spine & Joint, our knee procedures are primarily designed to treat osteoarthritis of the knee. As we age, the protective layer of cartilage that allows for smooth motion between the knee joints begins to wear out. The increased bone-on-bone contact leads to inflammation, aches and stiffness that can be painful and limiting to the performance of basic activities.
While it may be natural to want to avoid knee surgery for arthritis and other issues, there can be negative consequences to putting it off if it has been determined to be the best course of action. These issues can include:
If you have been told you need knee surgery, the expert medical team at Phoenix Spine & Joint can help. Our team can evaluate your knee condition and determine if you may be a candidate for one of our minimally invasive outpatient knee surgeries.
Becoming a candidate for knee surgery at Phoenix Spine & Joint
When you meet with the experts at Phoenix Spine & Joint, we will start with a review of your condition. You can expect to discuss your pain and activity level and receive an evaluation of your diagnostic imagery and other information. This will allow us to determine if one of our knee surgery procedures can benefit you.
For your convenience, we’re proud to offer a free second opinion with one of our doctors that can be performed by phone or video conference without having to leave your house.
Contact us today to learn more about becoming a candidate for knee surgery with us.
We’re committed to solving your knee pain problems with the least invasive treatment possible.
We use the robot on every knee surgery, which means a personalized implant selection that results in a better outcome.
We utilize the only implant that’s approved to last for 30 years.
No hospital stay means a much lower risk of infection.
Partial knee replacements are half the surgery and recovery time of a total knee.
You should do 3 weeks of physical therapy before considering an MRI—studies show worse results if you get imaging at this point. If you are not better after 3 weeks of therapy, then (6 weeks since the pan began) you should get an MRI and referral to a board-certified anesthesiologist or physiatrist with subspecialty certification and specialization in pain management. They will do a medial branch block and radiofrequency ablation as appropriate. Don’t let anyone talk you into epidural injection; that is not what you need.
You should do 3 weeks of physical therapy before considering an MRI—studies show worse results if you get imaging at this point. If you are not better after 3 weeks of therapy, then (6 weeks since the pan began) you should get an MRI. We can help you find a board-certified anesthesiologist or physiatrist with subspecialty certification and specialization in pain management who doesn’t over-prescribe dangerous narcotics.
They will offer you medial branch block and epidural injection. Those don’t really work for this problem. Your options are (off label) intradiscal injection of stem cell-derived growth factors, denervation with the relevant procedure, and then referral to a spine surgeon for interbody fusion if those fail.
You need an MRI now and referral to a spine surgeon for possible laminectomy decompression surgery. We can help you find one who is board-certified and specializes in minimally invasive surgery.
You need an MRI now and referral to a board-certified anesthesiologist or physiatrist with subspecialty certification and specialization in pain management. Don’t go to one that prescribes a lot of narcotics, they may get you killed. If you’re not better after 3 epidural injection you will be referred at 12 weeks to a spine surgeon to consider microdiscectomy. Note that you DO NOT need radiofrequency ablation; so, don’t let anyone talk you into a medial branch block.
This stuff can be confusing. Don’t sweat it. We’ve got you. Your MRI came with a report by a radiologist which describes the findings. If you don’t have a copy of your report, you can get one from the imaging center where the x-ray was taken. The doctor who prescribed the MRI has a copy as well. Find the section labeled Impression. First, under the impression, look for the word normal. If you see something like “Normal MRI of the hip then you are done. You do not need to check anything.
Next, search the impression section for the words osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis. If you see either one in the report, then ignore the rest of the report and check the osteonecrosis box. If neither of those is in the report, ignore the rest for now and continue.
This stuff can be confusing. Don’t sweat it. We’ve got you. Your x-ray came with a report by a radiologist which describes the findings. If you don’t have a copy of your report, you can get one from the imaging center where the x-ray was taken. The doctor who prescribed the x-ray has a copy as well. Find the section labeled Impression.
First, under the impression, look for the word normal. If you see something like “Normal x-ray of the hip then you are done. Check the box normal. Next, search the impression section for the word hypoplasia. If you see hypoplasia in the report then ignore the rest, and check the hypoplasia box.
If you are still going, then look for the word arthritis. The radiologist should have given the arthritis a grade from 1 to 4. If you see arthritis in the impression section but there is no grade, then look at the rest of the report for a grade 1,2,3 or 4 and check the appropriate box. If there’s no grade then you have every right to call the imaging center and ask them to have the radiologist to do their job and redo the report with a grade.
Not all orthopedic surgeons are the same. You deserve the best. That means a surgeon who is
In my experience less than 10% of orthopedic surgeons meet all five of these criteria. That means if you go to the surgeon you’ve been seeing, or the one recommended by friends or family, there’s a 90% chance you will not be getting the best.
At Phoenix Spine and Joint we make it our business to know the best. Call us for help finding the best surgeon near you who takes your insurance and is accepting new patients.
If you have any of the following red flags you need to see a doctor NOW!
Radiculopathy. This condition is most often due to herniated disc, but can also be caused by bone spurs, or compression of nerve roots as they leave the spinal canal. The traditional treatment is to confirm the herniation or compression by MRI, followed by a trial of epidural injection, with microdiscectomy or laminectomy surgery if all else fails.
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Facet syndrome. Your low back pain is most consistent with arthritis. Look for confirmation on your x-ray and MRI reports with discussion about “arthritis.” The traditional treatment is radiofrequency ablation done by a pain management physician.
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Discogenic low back pain due to an annular tear. Sorry, this is the least common and the hardest to treat. Traditionally, the recommended procedure is fusion; however, that does not always work and causes adjacent level issues. More recently a denervation procedure was approved called the Intercept procedure from Relievant. Some doctors recommend injection, The two options are stem cell-derived growth factors, and ozone.
Enter below and we will email or text you more information about how to get rid of your discogenic low back pain.
