Knee Pain 

The knee experts at Vermont Orthopaedic Center know that knee pain can get in the way of walking, running, or even standing up. No matter what condition is causing your knee problems, our knee surgeons and sports medicine specialists will help you get back to a pain-free life.

Knee Conditions We Treat

Whether your knee problem is caused by a chronic (long term) condition or an injury from sports or recreation, our experienced team of doctors can help.

Some of the common conditions we treat include:

• Knee dislocation
• Arthritis
• Bursitis (inflammation of fluid filled sacks near the joints)
• Meniscus (cartilage) tears
• Ligament tears (including the ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL)
• Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions

We treat problems affecting the patella (kneecap) such as:

• Patellar femoral dysfunction
• Patella dislocation
• Patella tendon rupture

We treat conditions that affect the knee tendons such as:

• Quadriceps tendon rupture
• Tendonitis (inflammation of the tendons)
• Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome

Diagnosing Knee Problems

Your knee is a complicated joint, made up of bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. If you’re having knee pain, our knee experts will give you a thorough examination to find out the cause.

Your doctor may ask you questions about:

• When and where your knee pain is happening
• Your medical history and any injuries you’ve had
• Your lifestyle (like what sports you play or what you do for work)

Your doctor may also order diagnostic imaging tests to create a picture of your knee. These may include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• X-Ray
• Ultrasound

Treatments for Knee Pain

Once doctors find out the cause of your knee problem, the experienced knee specialists at Vermont Orthopaedic Clinic will help you develop a treatment plan. Depending on the cause of your knee pain, your treatment could include nonsurgical care, surgery, or a knee replacement.

Non-Surgical Care

• If you need a nonsurgical treatment for your knee pain, you may receive:

  • Physical therapy to increase knee strength and mobility
  • Occupational therapy exercises to help you get back to your daily activities
  • Injections or medications to reduce pain and swelling

Surgical Care

If your knee condition is serious or if nonsurgical treatments don’t help, knee surgery may be the best option. Rutland Regional’s experienced knee surgeons have credentials from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and are skilled at the most up-to-date surgical techniques.

Surgeries we offer include:

• Partial meniscectomy, to remove and repair damaged meniscus (cartilage)
• Loose body (damaged tissue) removal, to remove fragments of damaged cartilage or bone in the knee joint

We also offer ligament reconstruction or repair surgeries for the:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
• Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL)
• Lateral collateral ligament (LCL)

In a ligament reconstruction surgery, the injured ligament is replaced with a graft. In a repair surgery, the ligament is reattached with stiches, screws, or staples.

At Vermont Orthopaedic Clinic, we offer the most advanced surgical options. That’s why if you’re a sports player, your doctor may choose personalized ACL reconstruction surgery. That means your doctor may choose which part of your body your graft should come from, depending on the sport you play. That’s because grafts taken from different parts of the body will affect your performance differently. For example, doctor would not choose to give a skier a graft from the patella (kneecap), because removing the patellar tendon could impact balance and flexibility — two important functions for skiing.

Your knee surgeon will use a minimally invasive technique called arthroscopic surgery. During arthroscopic surgery, your surgeon will insert a tiny camera on a thin tube into a small incision in your knee. This camera will send a video of the surgery to a television screen that will help your surgeon guide the instruments.

Knee Replacement Surgery

If your knee has serious damage, your doctor may recommend knee replacement surgery. There are two types of knee replacement surgeries:

• Partial knee replacement, which only replaces one part of your knee, such as the kneecap (patella), inside (medial) part, or outside (lateral) part of your knee
• Full knee replacement, which replaces the whole knee joint using an artificial joint made of high-grade metal and plastic

No matter what surgical treatment path you and your doctor choose, we are committed to providing top quality aftercare through our Rehabilitation Care services.