The Beardwood Hospital
Preston New Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 7AE DirectionsPhone
Opening hours
Mon - Sun: 8am - 8pm
Car parking
Yes - Free parking
Electric vehicle charging stations available
Sports injuries and general wear-and-tear are a common cause of pain in your knee. While at first you may be able to ‘grin and bear it’, over time it can get significantly worse, coupled with a loss of mobility. This may result in you being unable to continue doing the things you love, such as your favourite sports or exercise.
Even basic tasks like walking, standing, and sitting become increasingly difficult. Clearly, this cannot be ignored.
Your GP may have recommended over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatories to deal with your problem, but if this is having little-to-no effect, you may be feeling at a loss for where to go next.
At The Beardwood, our consultants can accurately diagnose your condition without delay, presenting you with all the options for you to make an informed decision on your treatment.
Let us help you get back that quality of life that has been missing.
Aside from an obvious injury, one of the primary causes of knee pain is arthritis. The severity of your arthritis will determine which treatments you will be best suited to. Once diagnostic scans have determined the extent of the arthritis, our consultants can outline all your available options.
Many patients in this position assume they will need a total knee replacement. However, if the arthritis is at an early or moderate stage, there are other options to consider first before any major surgery is required.
At The Beardwood, we have extensive expertise with Partial Knee Replacements, which can be organised if the arthritis is only present in part of the knee. During this minimally-invasive operation, the damaged parts of the joint are removed and replaced with an artificial implant. During a Total Knee Replacement, on the other hand, the entire knee joint is replaced with an implant, discarding healthy bone along with it, preventing arthritis from developing again in that knee.
Sometimes, surgical intervention may not be necessary, and a course of physiotherapy may be enough to improve your symptoms. Steroid injections can also be of use, and these can be administered within your consultation, if appropriate.
If arthritis is not the issue, your pain could be caused by ligament damage, most commonly to the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament, located at the front of the knee). This may require a form of keyhole surgery known as an ACL reconstruction to correct, which involves replacing the damaged ligament with part of a tendon from your knee.
Knee realignment surgery (Osteotomy) is another option which can be used to evenly spread the weight on the hinge joint that comprises the two parts of your knee. Metalwork is introduced to the damaged side of the knee to realign the joint, preventing any excessive load on one side, reducing pain and helping to restore mobility.
Beyond surgeries like this, our physiotherapy team will create a bespoke rehabilitation programme for you to help build up strength in your legs while you recover.
Sometimes, your knee may not even be the root of your pain. Referred pain in the knee can actually be a sign of a hip condition, and our diagnostic scans will be able to locate the source of the issue, with treatment being planned accordingly.
To begin, your consultant will take a medical history, and then ask you about your symptoms. They will most likely want to know:
- What symptoms have you been experiencing?
- How long have you had these symptoms?
- Can you describe the pain? Is it a sharp, stabbing pain or radiating pain?
- Have your symptoms become progressively worse?
- Is your pain localised to your knee or does it spread up towards your groin and hips?
Most consultants will also want to perform a comprehensive physical examination of the entire limb, depending on the symptoms you present with. This usually consists of various exercises to bend and/or lift the leg, and your consultant will be looking for signs of ligament injury, as well as testing your stability. This will also help to indicate if your knee pain is referred from the hip joint.
If your consultant suspects that you have ligament damage, an MRI scan at our on-site Imaging unit can be carried out for confirmation. Some ligament damage will recover with rest, but more extensive injury will require surgery to reattach the torn ligament.
Depending on the findings of your scans, your consultant can advise you on the best treatment plan for your specific condition, giving you the final say.
If a diagnosis is not clear from these preliminary scans, your consultant may organise a knee arthroscopy (keyhole surgery). This involves making a small cut in your knee and passing in a small light and camera attached to a flexible tube, which transmits a live feed to a screen, allowing your surgeon to see inside the joint.
Issues discovered during this procedure can often be addressed at the same time, as it enables your surgeon to introduce surgical instruments through the arthroscope to repair any damage, avoiding the need for further surgery.
By choosing to have your treatment at The Beardwood, you’ll be able to take advantage of all these great benefits:
- Assessments ASAP – If your quality of life has been affected by the amount of pain your knee condition is causing you, you’ll want to be seen by a consultant without delay. By seeing patients rapidly, our consultants can get you started on the right course of treatment as soon as possible.
- Patient Satisfaction – 98.1% of other patients in 2019 said they would happily recommend the Beardwood Hospital to friends and family in an independent report, and we’re confident that you’ll agree. 98.6% also said that the quality of care here at Beardwood Hospital was either ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. We aim to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible, and these results highlight our continued efforts to ensure this is achieved.
- Personalised care – We believe in a bespoke approach to treatment, tailoring each experience to our patients’ needs and whatever may be best for you.
- Remote Consultation – All our consultants have remote access to scans, and this has made the world of difference for both patients and consultants alike. If your consultant is working at one of our other sites and needs to see your latest scan, you won’t have to wait for an on-site consultation or clinic, reducing wait times and ensuring you can be contacted for an ad hoc appointment to get advice at any point through your treatment plan.
- A Multidisciplinary Approach – Our teams at The Beardwood work in tandem with each other to provide you with the best possible care from start to finish. Working closely with physiotherapists and neurologists, as well as a dedicated team of radiographers, anaesthetists, and nurses, you have support from medical professionals every step of the way during your treatment.
- Convenient appointments – With appointments available between 8am and 8pm Monday-Sunday, you are sure to find an appointment slot that suits your needs and availability.
- Free Parking – We know that parking should be the least of your worries when attending hospital, so to make life easier our car park is free of charge. In order to validate your parking, all you need to do is register your details with us at reception when you arrive.
If you have been suffering from significant knee pain, why not get in touch with our reception team today to book a consultation? Our consultants can organise the necessary diagnostic tests to investigate your symptoms, and outline all treatment options for you promptly, arranging any further scans or surgery if required.
For peace of mind and expert care, book an appointment online now.
