If you have acute or severe knee pain, you have likely been working with your primary care physician for support. Unfortunately, there are times when you require support that goes beyond what your family doctor can provide you. If acute knee pain is taking over your life, there are reasons for working with an orthopedic knee doctor.
How to identify you have acute knee pain
Experiencing knee pain can have serious life impacts. A person might have pain that makes them unable to work and function because they are not able to walk, bend, or flex the way that they need to. Knee pain can be difficult to manage, may cause require serious treatment, and sometimes it might be hard to identify when a person needs to see a doctor related to their acute knee pain.
Symptoms of acute knee pain
There are several ways to know that your knee pain is acute and in need of evaluation by a physician. The following signs and symptoms that are consistent with acute knee pain are swelling and stiffness of the knee; redness and warmth of the knee when you touch it; weakness or instability in the knee(s); a popping or crunching noise when moving the knee; and finally the inability to strengthen the knee completely.
You will know that your knee pain is acute and increasing because you might start experiencing sharp or stinging pain whereas before it was dull and aching. You might also experience an increase in pain. Where before perhaps your pain level was a 4/10 and now it is an 8/10. This is an indicator of acute pain and a change in status. This should lead you to see a physician for more support and management.
When to see an orthopedic doctor because of acute knee pain
Most people might be tempted to try to treat these symptoms at home by resting, icing, and taking anti-inflammatory medications. These can be helpful interventions, but there comes a point when a person needs to see an orthopedic knee doctor because the pain becomes too acute.
The following signs are indicators that a person should get in right away to see an orthopedic knee doctor for acute knee pain: inability to bear weight on a knee or the knee feels extremely unstable; the knees are swelling and not the swelling isn’t going down; the knee cannot be fully flexed; there is a deformity in the knee or leg; the individual has a fever as well as the redness and swelling; and severe knee pain is not being managed.
What happens when a doctor evaluates someone for knee pain
If you have identified that you cannot keep managing your acute knee pain and you have decided to see someone in orthopedics, it is a good idea to be aware of what the physician’s evaluation will be like.
You should expect when you go in to discuss your pain to have a full examination of the knee. The orthopedic doctor will physically touch and even press on certain areas of the knee to see the response. After a physical examination, the doctor will potentially send you for x-rays or radiology testing. This could include an MRI to see if there are any soft tissues tears or damage. An x-ray will identify if there is any bone damage or fractures.
In addition to imaging, the doctor might ask that you complete bloodwork. This will help the doctor to identify if any underlying conditions are causing your pain. For example, an autoimmune condition like Rheumatoid Arthritis may require blood testing for diagnosis. The treatment for a condition like this will be very different than the treatment for an injury or other type of condition. Finally, the orthopedic doctor might remove fluid from the knee joint to send for testing. This is likely to be the case for someone who might have gout or arthritis. If fluids need to be drained, this could greatly relieve the acute knee pain someone is experiencing.
How can I find an orthopedic knee doctor near me?
If it is time, you will need to reach out to see which orthopedic knee doctors near you are in-network to your insurance. In New York, many practices that provide orthopedic knee care are in-network with a wide range of insurance plans, so it is worth checking which of them take yours. Wherever you live, contact your insurance and ask for the orthopedic knee doctors near you with the highest patient satisfaction rate. This will help ensure you find a strong knee doctor in orthopedics who can provide the best support possible.
Frequently asked questions
Should knee pain go to an orthopedist or a pain management doctor?
It depends on what is suspected. Orthopedic care focuses on the structure of the joint and on procedures, including surgery, while pain management focuses on controlling pain through injections, modalities and non-surgical care. Structural problems such as instability, locking or a suspected tear usually start with orthopedics, and the two fields often work alongside each other.
Can knee pain be assessed properly over a video visit?
Only partly. Taking a history, reviewing previous imaging and planning next steps work reasonably well remotely, but the hands-on parts, testing ligaments, feeling for swelling and watching how the joint moves under load, need to happen in person. A video visit is often used to decide what is needed rather than to reach a final diagnosis.
Can a knee MRI look normal while the knee still hurts?
Yes, and it happens often. Imaging shows structure, not pain, so problems with muscle control, tendon irritation, referred pain or sensitised nerves can all hurt alongside an unremarkable scan. The reverse is also true, since scans of people with no symptoms frequently show wear. A normal MRI narrows the list rather than ending the search.
Is a specialist visit worthwhile when arthritis has already been diagnosed?
Often yes, particularly if the pain has changed character. An existing diagnosis of arthritis does not rule out a new meniscus tear, another joint referring pain, or an inflammatory condition, and a specialist can also review options that have not yet been tried. It is most useful when walking distance, function or sleep have declined.
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