How does a knee doctor in Gaithersburg MD treat patients?
You have knee pain, and you want to know why. Maybe you want to see the doctor for your knee pain but you have one nagging question in the back of your mind. How does a new doctor in Gaithersburg, MD, treat patients? It’s a valid question, especially if you’ve never been to a physician for knee pain before.
Could my pain be from osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear of the joint in the knee. This is an extremely common cause of knee pain. What is fair if you approach your physician and ask about osteoarthritis. By voicing your concerns you help your physician know exactly what to look for. Even if it’s not osteoarthritis, because it is so common, it can never hurt to rule it out early on.
Oftentimes osteoarthritis can also be caused by age, but usually it is repeated stress on the injury which gets worse as you age because you get older and your joints get older. It helps to understand that the knee is an extremely vulnerable and flexible joint, and it bears an extreme amount of stress from everyday activities, from lifting and kneeling to walking and running. Everything you do with your legs puts stress on your knees.
The knee has three parts, more or less. The tibia, which is the shin bone or the largest bone of the lower leg, the femur, which is the thigh bone or upper leg bone, and the patella, which is the kneecap. Each bone is covered with a layer of cartilage that absorbs shock and protects the knee.
Understanding the makeup of your leg can help you understand why you have knee pain.
What kind of injuries can cause knee pain?
You might be wondering how a knee doctor in Gaithersburg, MD treats patients? Well to answer this question you kind of need to know a little bit about what injuries can cause knee pain. A knee injury can affect any of the ligaments, tendons, or fluid-filled sacs that’s around your knee. however some injuries are more common than others:
- An ACL injury is a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. This is one of the four ligaments that connect your shin bone to your thigh bone. Remember the bone song, it’s like that. ACL injuries are often common in people who play basketball, soccer, or other sports that require sudden changes in direction.
- The bones of the knee can be broken during falls or other types of accidents. This is especially true if you have osteoporosis, as it weakens your bones. This makes them more liable to break or fracture.
- The meniscus is the tough rubbery cartilage in your knee. It absorbs shock between your shin bone and your thigh bone. It can be torn if you twist your knee while bearing weight on it.
- Some knee injuries cause inflammation in the bursae. These are the small sacs of fluid that cushion the outside of your knee so that tendons and ligaments glide smoothly over the joint.
