Knee Arthritis Treatment
Every option for an arthritic knee, from therapy and injections to the MISHA Knee System and MAKO partial or total replacement, with one surgeon in Port St. Lucie and Palm Beach Gardens.
What knee arthritis is
Osteoarthritis is the cartilage on the ends of the bones wearing thin. The knee gets stiff in the morning and sore by evening, it may swell or grind, and over time it loses movement. Wear is often uneven: bow-legged alignment, for instance, loads the inner side more than the outer.
Worn cartilage does not grow back by itself. Treatment is about pain, function and, where possible, slowing the wear, and the right option depends on how much of the knee is affected and how you want to use it.
Matching the treatment to the knee
Roughly in the order they are usually considered:
1. Non-surgical care
Physical therapy, weight management, activity changes, bracing, medication and injections. For early to moderate arthritis, orthobiologics such as PRP are another option.
2. The MISHA Knee System
For early to moderate arthritis on the inner side, once non-surgical care has stopped working. A small shock absorber takes load off the worn compartment. Nothing is removed and a replacement remains available later. Dr. Matarazzo was the first surgeon in Florida to implant it. About MISHA.
3. Partial knee replacement
For arthritis confined to one compartment. Only that part is resurfaced, with the MAKO robotic arm. About partial knee replacement.
4. Total knee replacement
For wear across the joint. Total knee replacement, which can also be performed with MAKO.
Why one surgeon for every option matters
Dr. Matarazzo offers each of these, so the recommendation is not shaped by what a practice happens to do. If waiting is the better course, he will say so. If the knee needs a replacement, he will say that too.
What to expect at your first visit
- An exam of alignment, movement and stability
- X-rays to see which compartments are worn and how far
- A plain explanation of where your knee sits on that ladder
- Non-surgical care first wherever it is likely to help
- Surgery discussed only when it is the right next step
- Bring any earlier imaging, the images and not only the report
FAQ
Common Patient Questions
Worn cartilage does not grow back by itself in adults. Treatment aims to ease pain, keep the knee working and, where possible, slow the wear.
When pain and stiffness keep limiting you despite non-surgical treatment, and imaging shows the joint has worn far enough. Symptoms and imaging decide it, not age alone.
Age alone does not decide it. What matters is how far the joint has deteriorated, how much it limits you, and whether non-surgical options have genuinely been exhausted. Joint-preserving options such as the MISHA Knee System exist for exactly this situation.
An implanted shock absorber for early to moderate arthritis on the inner side of the knee. It takes load off the worn compartment without removing bone or cartilage, and a replacement stays available later.
It depends on how much of the knee is worn. Arthritis in one compartment may suit a partial; wear across the joint needs a total. An exam and X-rays decide it.
They can ease pain for a time in some people. Orthobiologic injections such as PRP are aimed at the tissue rather than only the pain, but no injection regrows worn cartilage.
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Knee arthritis treatment in Port St. Lucie & Palm Beach Gardens
Dr. Matarazzo sees patients for this at both offices — Port St. Lucie (1100 SW St. Lucie West Blvd., Ste. 105) and Palm Beach Gardens (11380 Prosperity Farms Rd, Ste 204). Patients travel in from Stuart, Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, North Palm Beach and West Palm Beach — see every area we serve, or call 561-202-8886.