Aging & Degeneration

Squeaky knees while aging are fairly common. But you don’t have to suffer with knee degeneration once it begins. Call an expert knee pain specialist in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Knee pain in the Bronx can be reduced through non-surgical treatment at the Astra Knee Pain Center. An aging knee usually responds well to genicular artery embolization, so bring your knee pain to the GAE specialist. Don’t wait; call at the first sign of aging knee pain.

What Is Knee Degeneration?

Your knees have many moving parts that are used daily. This hard work that they do causes wear and tear on all the individual joints, which leads to degeneration, primarily of the soft tissues surrounding the bones in your knees. After years of use, and sometimes abuse, aging knees can begin to cause knee pain for which you need to see a doctor for treatment and relief. Seek out Dr. George Bolotin at the Astra Knee Pain Center.

In addition to aging, knee degeneration can be the result of an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis. It can be caused by continual use on the job or playing sports.

Other factors that contribute to knee pain include:

• Weight gain
• Family history
• An old injury

Arthritis is the most common degenerative disease, found in one in five Americans. It becomes more prevalent as time passes, so more than half of all people have been diagnosed with arthritis by age 75. Many are urged to get knee replacement. Although it’s thought of as an elderly disease, young people can also get arthritis as well as in the case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

What Are the Symptoms of Arthritis?

There are quite a few symptoms of arthritis, and they vary from person to person because arthritis can strike any joint in the body. When it’s progressed, you can have bone-on-bone grinding because the arthritis wore down the cartilage protecting the bones from rubbing together. The knee also has two cartilage plates that protect it called the meniscus.

Some common symptoms of arthritis include:

• Swelling and stiffness
• Redness
• Pain when doing certain activities
• Reduced mobility

Arthritis and other ailments are closely related and sometimes have another name if they’re in a particular part of the body. For example, arthritis in the spine is referred to as spinal stenosis and is the cause of many back surgeries.

The kinds of arthritis that can affect your knees include:

• Rheumatoid
• Osteoarthritis
• Psoriatic

There are over 100 types of arthritis including gout, which is an overabundance of uric acid in a joint. While gout is unlikely to occur in the knee, many others will. If you have knee pain, your knee pain doctors reach an accurate diagnosis, so you receive the best treatment.

What Can Knee Pain Doctors in Brooklyn and the Bronx Do for My Aging Knee?

If you’re having knee pain, the knee pain specialists at the Astra Knee Pain Center first take a medical history and review your family records, while asking about your symptoms, regarding:

• When symptoms first started
• How severe they are
• What primarily triggers the pain
• If you’ve had any other knee pain treatments

To make an accurate diagnosis about your aging knee, the best knee pain doctors in Brooklyn and the Bronx follow up with a physical examination that may include certain tests, such as:

• An MRI
• Blood test to check for C-reactive proteins, which signal inflammation
• A radiograph

Are There Non-Surgical Treatments Available for Knee Pain?

Non-surgical treatments are a specialty of your knee pain doctors in Brooklyn and the Bronx. In fact, one of the most promising procedures used to eliminate knee pain is genicular artery embolization (GAE). The treatment is especially useful for treating knee degeneration when more conservative treatments haven’t worked.

When you want to avoid total knee replacement, your Astra Knee Pain Center doctor runs tests to assure that you qualify and make a good candidate for genicular artery embolization. 

You then can access the procedure that carries far more benefits than traditional knee degeneration treatment, such as:

• Physical therapy
• PRP and stem cell infusions
• Steroid injections
• Surgery
• TENS and neuromodulation devices

What Are Some Ways to Keep My Aging Knees Healthy?

Although aging and knee degeneration is unavoidable, there are some healthy habits that you can do to keep your knees in good shape.

Once you have the initial pain relieved, follow the advice of your knee pain specialists with lifestyle habits that include:

• Stopping when you feel pain and using ice and heat to combat swelling and relieve pain, relax your muscles and alleviate stiffness
• Eating a healthy diet that’s particularly rich in inflammation reduction like omega-3 fatty acids, fruits and vegetables and whole grains
• Exercising with low-impact routines like yoga or chair yoga

With a few positive changes, you may be blessed with pain-free knees for longer than your friends. Even a little bit of conscientiousness can make a considerable difference in the health of your two knees. Coupled with effective GAE treatments, your recovery can be long-lasting. Contact the Astra Knee Pain Center for a consultation today.

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