Knee Surgery Specialist

What conditions cause knee pain?

Your knee joints are the largest joints in your body. Knee joints are the spot where your upper and lower leg bones meet and include the patella, also known as the kneecap. The Patella is a thick, bony triangle that sits over the front of your knee. This complex structure is supported by muscles in your legs and contains cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue that hold it all together and enables the hinge-like joint to move smoothly. Healthy knees allow you to sit, stand, walk, run, or jump without pain.

When one or more components of your knee are injured or begin to deteriorate due to the normal wear and tear associated with aging, pain results. For instance, osteoarthritis is a chronic and common condition characterized by the breakdown of the cartilage cushioning the ends of the leg bones where they meet in your knee. Often associated with the aging process, the breakdown of the cartilage causes bones to rub against one another, which can result in:

• Stiffness
• Loss of function
• Pain the knee

When does surgery become necessary?

Initially, Dr. Cucchetti attempts to treat knee pain with conservative measures such as anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy exercises, or steroid injections to reduce inflammation and discomfort. However, if your injury is severe or the arthritic damage to your knee is significant, Dr. Cucchetti may recommend knee surgery as your best treatment option for eliminating pain and restoring function to your knee joint.

How long does it take to recover from knee surgery?

The time it takes to fully recover from knee surgery depends on the condition that caused the issue in the first place, and what type of surgery you have. A total knee replacement, for instance, requires traditional open surgery and several weeks to months of reconditioning and rehab afterward. The pain from surgery should decrease steadily and resolve over a few weeks. It may be 4-6 weeks before you can bend your knee well enough to resume driving.

Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that requires less recovery time and results in much less postoperative pain. Not every condition can be treated with arthroscopic surgery, but it’s quite effective for many situations, including:

• Repairing torn menisci
• Repairing a torn cruciate ligament
• Trimming torn joint cartilage
• Removing loose bodies
• Removing inflamed synovial lining