Knee pain, while common, can be completely debilitating. Your knees allow you to remain mobile, so when you’re suffering from severe pain, it can interfere with your daily life and activities. If you are experiencing knee pain, specifically knee pain caused by arthritis, you can continue reading to learn more about some of the available treatment options, and you can contact our expert team at Western Rockies Interventional Pain Specialists to get started with an appointment today! We look forward to helping you heal.
Symptoms of knee pain caused by arthritis include:
- Still, swollen joints that make it difficult to bend or straighten the knee
- Pain or swelling that gets worse in the morning
- Severe pain caused by vigorous exercise or activity
- Loose fragments of cartilage or other types of tissue that cause jagged motions in the joints
Treating Knee Pain
When you’re suffering from knee pain caused by arthritis, you want to find treatment as quickly as possible. More importantly, you want that treatment to be effective. Dr. Kenneth Lewis at Western Rockies Interventional Pain Specialists can help! Learn more about treatment options for knee pain, including genicular nerve diagnostic blockades and radiofrequency ablation neurotomy.
Genicular Nerve Diagnostic Blockade & Radiofrequency Ablation Neurotomy
Diagnostic blockade and radiofrequency ablation neurotomy of the three genicular nerves in the knee is performed for the treatment of chronic knee pain when other treatment options have failed. This treatment does not fix the underlying condition causing the pain, but rather prevents the pain signal from reaching the brain. First each nerve is tested by placing a small amount of numbing medication on each nerve and tracking the pain relief for the following eight hours. If the diagnostic block is successful, those same nerves are treated with radiofrequency ablation neurotomy. Radiofrequency ablation neurotomy is performed using a small probe that heats the nerve tissue just enough to remove a small section of the nerve. Once the nerve tissue is removed, the nerve is unable to send pain signals to the brain.