So your knee starts hurting and you wonder where to start. Do I need to go to the doctor? The physiotherapist? Do I need an X-Ray? MRI? CT scan? What’s wrong with my knee and what picture do I need taken to tell me why it hurts?

This sounds familiar right? You want answers now, and the majority of the population is told that the answer lies within a quick $2,000 picture of your knee. It’s going to solve all of your problems when you can figure out exactly what is “floating in your knee” or what’s torn. Pretty much “What’s wrong so I can get it fixed” is the phrase that comes to mind. 

If you take nothing from this article but one thing, let it be this. There is a 97% chance that your knee has an abnormality (i.e. tendinitis, meniscal tear, partial ligament rupture, cartilage damage, bone marrow edema, etc.)

Did I mention that the study that produced this number was looking at PAIN-FREE adults? 

This means that people with no symptoms in their knees would be labeled as injured and potentially lined up for surgery! Let me be clear here; the gradual onset of your knee pain is likely not due to an abnormality in the knee. The $2,000 in your bank account marked for an MRI is not going to be money well-spent. 

Let’s entertain that you decide to pull the trigger and get your MRI, what would you think is going to be the next step? The options are usually medications, injections, or surgery when going down this path. If you’re here reading this today, however, you are not the person happy with any of these three options. 

So what option is the best? An increasing amount of research is coming out stating that proper evaluation and treatment by a physical therapist produces superior outcomes compared to surgical arthroscopies for a majority of the abnormalities listed above. Plus, you get an in-depth evaluation to establish your areas of weakness and mobility deficits. From here, you and your Physiotherapist will work together to help you reset the pain cycle, restore proper range of motion and strength, and begin reloading your tissues to allow you a full return to the activities that you love! 

We have these conversations with our clients all of the time. If this sounds like you, and you’ve been in this situation, then we would love to hear from you. If you’re currently at this point, please let us know so we can set up a FREE consultation to help you return to doing what you love!