Knee pain is very common, from sports injuries to age-related degeneration. Replacement is the right answer only when the joint has worn to bone on bone and daily life is limited. Before that, PRP, bone marrow concentrate and hyaluronic acid injections relieve most patients — done under image guidance as day-care procedures.
Sports injuries, obesity, ageing and a sedentary lifestyle are the usual risk factors. The knee carries the body’s weight through a thin layer of cartilage, two shock-absorbing menisci and four stabilising ligaments — cartilage wears with age, weight and old injury; menisci fray; ligaments sprain with twisting loads; and the tendons around the knee overload.
Physical examination of alignment, swelling and stability; a standing X-ray to grade arthritis; MRI or ultrasound for soft-tissue injuries — menisci, ligaments, tendons and cysts.
Conditions treated
Cartilage wear graded mild to severe on X-ray. Mild to moderate: ultrasound-guided injection — hyaluronic acid or PRP — with strengthening and weight management. Regenerative injection (bone marrow concentrate or SVF) is considered in selected patients. Replacement is discussed only when bone-on-bone change limits walking and sleep despite these.
Degenerative tears in adults over 40 are part of arthritis and rarely need arthroscopy; they are treated with injection and rehabilitation. Traumatic tears in younger patients, with locking or a knee that will not straighten, are referred for arthroscopic repair.
Any of the knee’s four stabilising ligaments can sprain or tear with a twist or impact. Partial tears are treated with bracing, rehabilitation and ultrasound-guided PRP to support healing. A complete ACL tear in an active person usually needs reconstruction; Dr. Kiruthika refers these.
Softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap — aching on stairs and after sitting, from tracking and muscle imbalance. Rehabilitation is the main treatment; ultrasound-guided injection for associated inflammation.
Pain at the front of the knee below the kneecap, in jumpers, runners and squatters. A loading programme first; ultrasound-guided PRP for persistent cases.
A fluid swelling behind the knee, usually from arthritis or a meniscus problem inside the joint. Ultrasound-guided aspiration and injection, and treatment of the underlying joint.
Pain on the inner knee below the joint line where three tendons attach, common in arthritis and in runners. Settled with an ultrasound-guided injection.
Injections take fifteen to twenty minutes; PRP about forty-five including the blood draw; bone marrow concentrate procedures are longer but still day-care. Walk out the same day.
Yes — regenerative medicine can delay or avoid surgery in many cases.
Not always — partial tears often heal with regenerative treatments.
Both help mild to moderate arthritis. PRP tends to last longer; hyaluronic acid is quicker to act. The choice depends on grade, age and cost.
No. Loss of muscle worsens knee pain. Walking, cycling and swimming are encouraged within comfort.
Precise injections into joints, tendons, bursae and around nerves — no blind injections.
Your own platelets, placed precisely into the joint or tendon under ultrasound.
Bone marrow concentrate for disc degeneration and tendon tears.
Adipose-derived cells for knee osteoarthritis and ligament injury.