At The Hampshire Clinic in Basingstoke the clinicians are aware just how limiting many knee problems can be and the importance of receiving the right treatment as soon as possible.
Experienced Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons provide assessment and treatment for a wide range of knee symptoms and conditions. They would be delighted to try to help you too.
Your knee is one of the more complex joints in your body, heavily involved in making many common movements possible, from sitting and standing to walking and running.
As a weight-bearing joint, it has a variety of loads and forces being put through it each time you move. While the structure of the knee helps to safely manage and disperse these loads without causing damage to the joint, if any part of the knee is damaged it may cause symptoms like:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Instability / knee giving way
- Deformity in the knee
- Knee locking / not fully straightening
- Clicking in the knee
- Weakness in knee
- Difficulty weight-bearing
- Inflammation
If you have any of the symptoms above, or any other concerns about your knee health, it is sensible to get things looked at by a specialist. Why not book your private appointment with us today?
While there are many causes of knee problems, the two most common are sports injuries and general ‘wear and tear’ degeneration in the knee.
Conditions that may cause problems in the knee include:
- Osteoarthritis
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury
- Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury
- Meniscus tears
- Joint surface (“Articular cartilage”) damage
- Iliotibial (ITB) syndrome – sometimes referred to as one of the Runner’s Knee conditions
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Patellar tendinopathy – also sometimes referred to as “Runner’s knee”
- General sports knee injuries
Whatever is causing your knee pain, you will appreciate an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment as soon as possible.
Treatments for knee problems may be non-operative (occasionally incorrectly referred to as: “conservative”) or operative. Non-operative treatments will often be used first, and these include:
- Pain relief medication (analgesia)
- Physiotherapy
- Injection therapies – which may include corticosteroid or hyalluronate (a “viscosupplement” approved by NICE), which have both pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties.
- (Therapies you may have heard or read about that are not NICE approved are not routinely offered unless part of an approved clinical study.)
If these are not able to relieve your symptoms, surgery may be an option. The Consultants at The Hampshire Clinic provide a range of surgical treatments for the knee, from minor to complex, including:
- Meniscus surgery
- ACL / Ligament reconstruction
- Total Knee Replacement – resurfacing the damaged joint surfaces
- Partial Knee Replacement – carried out when only part of the knee has been damaged
- Osteotomy – to correct misalignment of the knee to attempt to slow degenerative (arthritic) processes and/or improve knee and/or patella stability
- Patella stabilisation – to stabilise the kneecap that recurrently dislocates and/or subluxes (partially dislocates)
Many types of knee surgery can be carried out with keyhole surgery (knee arthroscopy). This gives a clear view of the inside of the knee and allows surgical repairs to be carried out for a number of problems, such as meniscal tears / damage, articular cartilage damage and/or a ligament injury. As only very small incisions (cuts) are made in the skin, pain is reduced, scarring is less visible, and recovery may be faster.
Whether you require operative or non-operative management, your Consultant will always tailor treatment to your specific needs and will explain the different options available so that you can make an informed choice about treatment.
When you meet with your Consultant at The Hampshire Clinic, they will ask you in detail about your symptoms.
They will carry out a physical examination of your knee, and possibly your hip, back or lower leg if they suspect your knee pain is being referred from a problem in any of these places.
This may be all that is needed to make a diagnosis, but further investigations will often be needed like X-ray, CT, MRI and/or ultrasound. These can all be arranged for you on-site.
Once the results of any investigations are back and a diagnosis has been made, your Consultant will meet with you again to discuss them with you and to explore treatment options. If you have any questions or concerns, they will be very happy to talk through them with you.
If it is found that your knee pain is being referred from a problem in your hip or back, you will be referred to the most suitable specialist at the hospital for further help, such as Physiotherapy, a hip surgeon or spinal surgeon.
While many of our patients live in or around Basingstoke, our close proximity to the M3 and M25 motorways gives easy access to people from further afield. For many of the things we do and some of the advanced treatments we offer, such as for patellofemoral problems and/or revision (re-do) surgery, people will often travel from much further afield due to the good reputation of our clinicians.
Most people are referred to us by their GP, physiotherapist (or sports physiotherapist) or their private medical insurance provider. You can self-refer, although a medical referral is often very helpful as it means your Consultant has easy access to any previous scans and investigations and your full medical history.
We treat people with private medical insurance and self-pay patients.
When you visit The Hampshire Clinic for help with a knee problem, you will benefit from:
- Fast access to an expert – Knee problems can make many aspects of life more challenging and the last thing you will want is to have to wait weeks (or even months) to see somebody for help. We can quickly and easily arrange an appointment for you with an experienced consultant who will help you access any treatment you need sooner.
- Tailored treatment – Treatment for any knee condition will always be Consultant-led and Consultant-directed. You will usually see the same Consultant throughout your time with us and they will oversee every aspect of your care, from first appointment through to post-treatment review.
- Remote appointments – Private appointments for knee problems are usually carried out in person at the hospital. However, we can offer remote consultations by telephone or online video call if required and where clinically appropriate.
- Teamwork - Your Consultant is supported in their work by a wide range of healthcare professionals including physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists and radiologists. With fast, easy access to any member of this wider team, you will always see the most appropriate specialist at every stage.
- Patient Satisfaction – In an independent survey, 98% of people we treated said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend The Hampshire Clinic to their friends and family.
- Location - Located in a picturesque village on the outskirts of Basingstoke, the hospital is close to both the M3 and M4 motorway and very easy to travel to. Our car park has 100 spaces and is free for patients and visitors.
If you are concerned about any type of problem with your knee, why not book your private appointment today?
We very much look forward to welcoming you to The Hampshire Clinic and helping to restore and improve strength, movement and function in your knee again as soon as possible.
