As an active, weight-bearing joint, the knee is a source of pain and problems for many people. No matter the cause of your knee pain, let the experts at MU Health Care tailor a solution to help relieve your pain.

Knee pain is common and might be acute or chronic and could result from injury, overuse or growth. It can stem from the tendons, ligaments, bones, cartilage or any other structure within the knee. Arthritis is one of the most common and crippling conditions to affect the knee joint.

Our compassionate team provides complete care for your knee pain. At MU Health Care’s Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, we offer all the orthopaedic services you need under one roof — from diagnosis to surgery to physical therapy. Our facility is specially designed to make your care easy and comfortable.

Nonsurgical Treatments

Finding a solution for knee pain is different for each person. For some people, physical therapy tailored to improving the flexibility and strength of muscles above the knee can relieve pain without the need for prescriptions or surgery. Our physical therapists and sports medicine experts provide the safest and most effective forms of therapy, including aquatic therapy, blood flow restriction therapy and more.

If you have knee arthritis, injections such as cortisone, hyaluronic acid (a joint lubricant) or platelet-rich plasma may help.

Some people can benefit from alternative forms of treatment including acupuncture, massage, heat packs, prolotherapy or chiropractic care.

In some cases, your care team may recommend weight loss. The knee joint is naturally strong and flexible because it supports most of the body’s weight while moving, but studies have shown a 10-pound change in weight can relieve 30 pounds of load from the kneecap. Our joint pain experts can help you coordinate your care with our medical weight loss specialists.

Surgical Treatments

Knee surgery can help relieve your knee pain, whether you’re recovering from a torn ligament, dealing with osteoarthritis or have pain from another condition.

At MU Health Care and the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, our surgeons, rheumatology and sports medicine specialists, physical therapists, and nurses work together to make sure you get the best care possible for the cause of your knee pain.

Surgical services we offer include:

  • Knee preservation procedures for people with healthy cartilage, such as knee arthroscopy (meniscus repair) and knee osteotomy (correcting the joint’s position)
  • Partial or total knee replacement, including Mako robot-assisted replacement surgery

Learn more about knee surgery