Knee pain can affect people of all ages, limiting their movement, daily activities and quality of life.
Whether relatively mild or more severe, knee pain can have a significant impact on physical, mental and emotional health. It is important that you can access the help you need without delay to get out of pain and back to better health.
Many types of knee pain, and many causes of knee pain, can often be managed successfully without medical input. Rest, gentle exercise and appropriate pain relief medication can all relieve symptoms and promote healing and recovery.
But some people will experience knee pain that does not away over time, or that continues to disrupt normal life. In these situations, it is sensible to get assessment and treatment guidance from a knee specialist.
At The Cavell Hospital in Enfield, North London, our dedicated knee pain specialists have been providing rapid access to assessment, diagnostic investigations, diagnosis, treatment and a tailored recovery programme for many years. We’ve built up a reputation among Enfield locals as the place to come for private knee pain treatment.
If you are struggling with any type of knee pain, whether it has recently started or has been a niggling problem for years, we would be delighted to meet with you.
We can help you access the support you need to get out of pain and back to better, easier mobility once more. Our experienced team includes physiotherapists, consultant knee surgeons and pain relief consultants.
It is easy to book a private consultation at a time of your choosing with a knee consultant. You can do this online or by phoning us on 020 8366 2122.
We asked Mr Henry Atkinson, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon working at The Cavell Hospital, to give us his perspective on treating knee pain. He said:
"I believe that medicine should be bespoke. Treatment for knee pain should involve a treatment strategy for that specific patient and which considers their own wishes, decisions and choices. I'm there to guide them on the technology and treatments we have available at The Cavell Hospital and to help them choose what is right for them."
Depending on the cause and severity of knee pain, it can affect different parts of the knee, often in different ways. Listed below are common symptoms of knee pain.
If you are struggling with any of these types of knee pain, it is sensible to get advice from a doctor.
Sharp shooting pain in the knee
If the pain is severe and follows acute trauma (like a hard blow or violent twist to the knee), seek urgent medical help.
Outer or inner knee pain
Usually caused by damage to one of the four ligaments in the knee. Outer knee pain is sometimes referred to as ‘lateral knee pain’, while inner knee pain is known as ‘medial knee pain’.
Stiffness in the knee
A common symptom of degeneration in the knee joint caused by ageing or osteoarthritis.
Knee pain at night
This may disturb sleep which, over time, may lead to sleep deprivation. If your knee pain is severe enough to wake you up at night, it is important you consult a doctor as this could be a sign of advanced osteoarthritis in the knee.
Knee pain during or after exercise
Several knee problems may cause pain during or after exercise like cycling, squatting weights or running. Similarly, sometimes seemingly gentle, non-impact exercises like swimming may cause knee pain.
Positional pain
Some knee conditions will only cause pain when the knee is moved into a certain position. Examples of this include when bending the knee to squat a weight or to sit down in a chair, or when straightening the leg.
Pain under the kneecap
Also known as anterior knee pain, patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and runner’s knee. This usually causes a dull pain in and around the kneecap which becomes worse after activity.
Knee grinding or clicking
Grinding or clicking noises or sensations in the knee are usually the result of more advanced osteoarthritis.
Pain in the back or hip
Known as referred pain, some problems in the knee may cause pain in the hip or back. This is why your consultant will often check these areas as part of their clinical examination during your consultation at The Cavell Hospital.
The knee is an incredibly complex joint. Commonly referred to as a hinge joint, it also provides a small amount of rotational movement.
As a weight-bearing joint, it must cope with many different forces being placed upon it. From running to jumping, climbing stairs or pivoting to avoid a tackle in football, the knees are relied upon for many activities and movements.
While the anatomy and function of the knees give them a good amount of strength and structural stability, any problem with them can easily have a magnified effect on daily life.
Listed below are some common causes of knee pain.
Acute trauma
A hard blow or violent twist of the knee can cause damage to a muscle, ligament, cartilage or bone in the knee. The extent and severity of any damage can range from a mild sprain or strain through to a fractured bone or dislocated kneecap (although this is relatively rare).
Ligament damage
The knee has four main ligaments (bands of connective tissue) which help provide strength and stability to the knee joint.
Damage to any of them can cause severe pain and instability in the joint. A fast twist while making a sudden turn with the foot planted on the ground can easily damage the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), as can an overextension of the joint.
Arthritis in the knee
Arthritis is a degenerative joint condition.
In the knee, the most common type is osteoarthritis (also known as ‘wear and tear’ arthritis), which causes the bones in the knee to grate directly against one another as the knee is moved. This causes pain and stiffness in the knee, and often results in slower movement.
Damaged meniscus
Damaged meniscus can occur at almost any age, although in younger patients it will usually be caused by trauma, such as a hard tackle in football. Older patients will often develop this because of degenerative changes to the meniscus.
Damage to bursae
The bursae are fluid-filled sacs that act as shock absorbers within a joint. By minimising shock and impact in a joint, they help to prevent damage. Inflammation or damage to a bursa (knee bursitis) can cause pain and/or swelling in the knee, making movement difficult and painful.
Although bursa can be damaged by a direct impact to the knee, bursitis is common for people whose jobs involve kneeling, such as carpet fitters and nursery assistants.
Runner’s knee
Despite the name, this does not only affect runners! Runner’s knee often occurs without an obvious injury.
The knee pain team at The Cavell Hospital can help assess, diagnose and treat the above causes of knee pain, as well as other causes.
If you have any concerns about knee pain, or any other symptoms in your knee, they would be delighted to meet with you to confirm a diagnosis and plan appropriate treatment for you.
Many causes of knee pain can be managed and treated using conservative non-operative) approaches. Other problems will need surgery to resolve.
Non-surgical treatment options available at The Cavell Hospital include:
Physiotherapy
The physiotherapy department at The Cavell Hospital provides fast access to an experienced team of physiotherapists and a range of equipment to aid and promote recovery.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) involves passing shockwaves through the skin to the injured part of the body. This can be helpful for tendon problems in the knee.
Weight management
As the knees are weight-bearing joints, losing weight reduces the load placed upon them and can reduce pain.
Pain relief medication (analgesia)
Over-the-counter pain relief medication may help relieve knee pain. Your consultant at The Cavell Hospital may prescribe other pain relief medication if needed.
Joint injections
An injection of a corticosteroid into the hip joint has a pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effect.
Mr Atkinson describes the joint injections available at The Cavell Hospital:
“We have a variety of injection services available, mostly provided through the radiology department. The radiologists are all interventional radiologists and can offer ultrasound-guided steroid injections, ultrasound-guided dry needling, high volume injections and PRP injections, where we take the patient's blood, separate out the platelet-rich plasma, and then inject it into the knee. These can be best thought of as rejuvenating therapies that involve stimulating a healing response.”
In some cases, surgery might be the most suitable treatment for your knee pain. This will depend on the underlying cause of your pain.
Surgical options available include:
- Meniscus repair
- Meniscus transplant
- Cartilage repair
- Cartilage grafting
- Knee arthroscopy (keyhole surgery)
- ACL reconstruction
- Partial knee replacement
- Total knee replacement
Your consultant will discuss whether or not knee surgery is the best choice for you.
Custom knee replacement implants at The Cavell Hospital
The Cavell Hospital can provide custom knee replacement implants, specifically tailored to precisely match your natural joint. Mr Atkinson explains the benefit of this type of implant:
“To create a made-to-measure, patient-specific knee implant, we carry out a CT scan of the knee. This is then used to make surgical cutting blocks, which allow us to make precise cuts during the surgery. The custom implant is then fitted. This custom approach means that the implant fits better, and the biomechanics are more likely to closely match the patients.”
Not only does this feel better for the patient, but it also provides a greater level of patient satisfaction.
To put it in context, Mr Atkinson says that roughly 80% of people who have a ‘standard’ knee replacement are satisfied with the outcome. This jumps to 95% for people who have a custom knee replacement implant.
Due to the costs involved, this type of technology is only readily available in the private sector; yet another reason so many people choose to have their knee treatment carried out privately at The Cavell Hospital.
When you first visit us, your consultant will talk with you about your knee pain and any other symptoms you have. They may ask you questions like:
- When did your pain start?
- Is it getting worse over time?
- Where is your pain and can you describe it?
- How is your knee pain affecting your daily life?
- Are there any things you can no longer do because of your pain?
- Do you have any concerns or worries?
They will carry out a clinical examination of your knee, looking at how easily it moves and how stable it is. This examination will usually involve different tests with you sitting or lying down as well as standing so they can see how the joint functions when it is weight-bearing.
Diagnostic tests
An examination may be all that is needed to confirm a diagnosis, but often additional diagnostic tests will be needed. Depending on your symptoms and the results of the physical examination, this may be a plain X-ray, CT, MRI or ultrasound. These are all easily arranged for you if needed.
Once any results are back, your consultant will meet with you again to explain them and discuss treatment options with you.
Cost of knee pain treatments at The Cavell Hospital
Details of our fixed-price packages can be seen on this page.
You will always receive written confirmation of your treatment price after your initial consultation and once any investigations have been carried out.
Whether your knee pain has only recently started or has been bothering you for many months, the consultants at The Cavell Hospital can help you get the support you need.
With fast access to diagnostic investigations, you will get a diagnosis sooner and treatment can be planned and started promptly. Whether your treatment will be physiotherapy, joint injection or knee surgery, we can arrange it for you at The Cavell Hospital.
To avoid delay, throughout your time with us, your consultant will oversee every aspect of your care — from initial consultation through to discharge. This streamlined approach to care avoids unnecessary delays and makes it easy to know who to contact if you have any queries or concerns at any time.
Whether you have private medical insurance or are looking to self-pay for treatment, don’t let your knee pain drag on any longer. Book a private consultation online or phone 020 8366 2122 to speak with us today. With consultations available in Enfield six days a week (Monday – Saturday), we can help you access the expert-led care you need without delay.
We look forward to welcoming you to The Cavell Hospital in Enfield and helping to get your knee pain under control and managed as well as possible.
