KNEE
Common causes of knee pain, or reduced mobility treated, at Bridger Orthopedic include:
The knee is the largest and one of the most complex joints in the human body, and it plays a central role in walking, running, climbing, and almost every daily activity. Because it absorbs so much stress and force, the knee is especially prone to orthopedic problems and sports injuries. Common knee conditions include anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, cartilage and meniscus injuries, patellar (kneecap) instability or dislocation, and various forms of knee arthritis. Each of these problems can cause pain, swelling, stiffness, instability, and loss of function that can limit your ability to stay active and enjoy the activities you love.
Many knee conditions can be effectively treated with non-surgical (conservative) care. Depending on your diagnosis and lifestyle, treatment options may include customized bracing, targeted physical therapy to restore strength and flexibility, and image-guided injections to reduce inflammation and pain. These nonsurgical knee treatments are designed to relieve symptoms, protect the joint, and, when possible, prevent further damage. Our goal is to use advanced diagnostic tools to identify the exact source of your knee pain and then develop a personalized treatment plan that helps you return to activity safely and efficiently.
When knee pain or instability does not improve with conservative care, or when there is significant structural damage, surgical treatment may be recommended. Our orthopedic knee specialists offer a full spectrum of advanced knee surgery options, including ACL reconstruction, minimally invasive knee arthroscopy, cartilage restoration procedures, and patella stabilization to address recurring kneecap dislocations. For patients with advanced knee arthritis, we provide both partial knee replacement (unicompartmental arthroplasty) and total knee replacement (total knee arthroplasty), using modern techniques and technology to optimize alignment, implant longevity, and recovery. By combining expert diagnosis, state-of-the-art surgical techniques, and comprehensive rehabilitation, we help patients regain stability, reduce pain, and return to an active lifestyle.
Same-day orthopedic urgent care is available at Bridger Orthopedic Urgent Care for:
Customized physical therapy programs help improve knee strength, flexibility, stability, balance, and range of motion. Rehabilitation is commonly recommended for knee arthritis, ligament injuries, meniscus tears, patellar instability, overuse injuries, and post-surgical recovery.
Bracing may help stabilize the knee following ACL injuries, ligament instability, arthritis, or patellar dislocations. Activity modification can reduce stress on damaged cartilage and inflamed joints while improving mobility and function.
Injection-based therapies may help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and improve knee function for arthritis, tendon injuries, cartilage damage, and sports injuries.
Available injection therapies include:
Advanced orthobiologic treatments use the body’s own healing cells and growth factors to support tissue healing, reduce inflammation, and potentially delay or avoid surgery. These minimally invasive treatments may benefit patients with:
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction restores knee stability after ACL tears caused by skiing, football, soccer, basketball, and other athletic activities. Bridger Orthopedic physicians perform advanced arthroscopic ACL reconstruction using modern anatomic reconstruction techniques designed to improve stability, recovery, and return to sport.
Complex ligament reconstruction procedures, including offering the new BEAR implant (an advanced biologic scaffold for ACL injuries), may be recommended for severe knee instability involving ligaments, including:
Meniscus repair procedures focus on preserving healthy knee cartilage whenever possible to help maintain joint function and reduce long-term arthritis risk. Arthroscopic meniscus surgery may treat:
Minimally invasive arthroscopic knee surgery uses small incisions and specialized instruments to diagnose and treat knee conditions with less tissue disruption and faster recovery.
Knee arthroscopy may be used for:
Advanced cartilage restoration procedures are designed to repair or restore damaged knee cartilage in active patients experiencing pain, swelling, or loss of function. These procedures may help preserve the native knee joint and delay joint replacement surgery.
Patellar stabilization procedures help treat recurrent kneecap dislocations and instability by restoring proper alignment and support of the patella.
Early-stage arthritis treatment may include:
Partial knee replacement (unicompartmental knee arthroplasty) replaces only the damaged compartment of the knee while preserving healthy bone, cartilage, and ligaments.
Benefits of partial knee replacement may include:
Bridger Orthopedic offers robotic-assisted partial knee replacement using advanced technology to assist in improved surgical precision, implant positioning, and individualized treatment planning.
Total knee replacement surgery treats advanced knee arthritis and severe joint degeneration by replacing damaged joint surfaces with artificial components designed to restore mobility and reduce pain.
Patients may benefit from total knee replacement when experiencing:
Robotic-assisted knee replacement technology may improve surgical accuracy, alignment, and implant positioning while supporting improved patient outcomes and recovery.
Revision knee replacement surgery is available for patients experiencing complications, implant wear, instability, or failure following a previous knee replacement procedure.
Select patients may qualify for outpatient knee replacement surgery at Rocky Mountain Surgical Center, allowing them to return home the same day as surgery.
Potential benefits of outpatient joint replacement include:
In the low back, nerves join to form the sciatic nerve, which runs down into the leg and controls the leg muscles. Sciatica is a condition that may cause radiating pain, numbness, tingling, and/or muscle weakness in the leg but originates from nerve root impingement in the lower back. Nerve impingement is most often caused by a herniated disk or spinal stenosis.
Stenosis refers to a narrowing of the spinal canal, usually in the lower back (lumbar) region. This narrowing is often a result of the normal degenerative aging process. It occurs as the disks of cartilage that separate the spine's vertebrae lose water and the space between the vertebrae become smaller, causing friction between the bones. The loss of water in the disks makes them less flexible and unable to act as shock absorbers in the spine. Daily wear and tear on the spine becomes more significant without these shock absorbers.
As the disks degenerate, vertebrae may shift, causing the spinal canal to narrow. In some cases, the nerves that travel through the spinal column to the legs become squeezed. This can cause back and leg pain, and even leg weakness. Arthritis and falls also contribute to the narrowing of the spinal canal, compressing the nerves and nerve roots and causing pain and discomfort.
Degenerative disk disease is a general term applied to back pain that has lasted for more than three months. It is caused by degenerative changes in the intervertebral disks in the spine and can occur anywhere in the spine: low back (lumbar), mid-back (thoracic), or neck (cervical).
Under the age of 30, these disks are normally soft, and they act as cushions for the vertebrae. With age, the material in these lumbar disks becomes less flexible and the disks begin to erode, losing some of their height. As their thickness decreases, their ability to act as a cushion lessens. The less dense cushion now alters the position of the vertebrae and the ligaments that connect them. In some cases, the loss of density can even cause the vertebra to shift their positions. As the vertebrae shift and affect the other bones, the nerves can get caught or pinched and muscle spasms can occur.
Degenerative disk disease is primarily a result of the normal aging process, but it may also occur as a result of trauma, infection, or direct injury to the disk. Heredity and physical fitness may also play a part in the process.
The spinal vertebrae are separated by flexible disks of shock absorbing cartilage. These disks are made of a supple outer layer with a soft jelly-like core (nucleus). If a disk is compressed, so that part of it intrudes into the spinal canal but the outer layer has not been ruptured, it may be referred to as a "bulging" disk. This condition may or may not be painful and is extremely common.
Herniated disks are often referred to as "slipped" or "ruptured" disks. When a disk herniates, the tissue located in the center (nucleus) of the disk is forced outward. Although the disk does not actually "slip," strong pressure on the disk may force a fragment of the nucleus to rupture the outer layer of the disk.
If the disk fragment does not interfere with the spinal nerves, the injury is usually not painful. If the disk fragment moves into the spinal canal and presses against one or more of the spinal nerves, it can cause nerve impingement and pain.
If the injured disk is in the low back, it may produce pain, numbness, or weakness in the lower back, leg, or foot. If the injured disk is in the neck, it may produce pain, numbness, or weakness in the shoulder, arm, or hand.
Radiculopathy refers to a condition in which the spinal nerve roots are irritated or compressed. Many people refer to it as having a "pinched nerve." Lumbar nerve impingement indicates that the nerve roots in the lower spine are involved, while cervical radiculopathy is associated with nerve roots in the neck. Nerve impingement is most often caused by a herniated disk or spinal stenosis.
An epidural is a potent steroid injection that helps decrease the inflammation of compressed spinal nerves to relieve pain in the back, neck, arms or legs. Cortisone is injected directly into the spinal canal for pain relief from conditions such as herniated disks, spinal stenosis, or radiculopathy. Some patients may need only one injection, but it usually takes two or three injections, given two weeks apart, to provide significant pain relief.
