Understand what's causing your hip or knee pain
Clear, surgeon-authored guides to the conditions we treat — what they feel like, why they happen, and the full range of options, from nonsurgical care to replacement when the time is right. Written and medically reviewed by Matthew Harb, M.D.
Noticing something but not sure what it is? Start here — these guides explain what may be behind a common symptom and what to do next.
Knee Pain Going Down Stairs: Causes, Treatment & When to Seek Help
Pain going down stairs is one of the most common — and earliest — knee complaints. Many people notice it long before they have much pain walking on flat ground, because descending loads the knee, and especially the kneecap, far more heavily. It usually has a treatable cause, and surgery is rarely the first step. Here is what it may mean, and what to do about it.
Read guideHipHip Pain at Night: Causes, Treatment & When to Seek Help
Many people tolerate hip pain during the day but become concerned when it starts stealing their sleep. Hip pain at night is common, and lying still or sleeping on a sore hip can make it more noticeable. It often signals that symptoms are becoming more significant — but on its own it does not mean surgery is needed. Here is what it may mean, and what to do about it.
Read guideKneeKnee Swelling: Common Causes and Treatment Options
Knee swelling is a symptom, not a diagnosis. A knee that “keeps filling up” is telling you something is irritating it — and the important question isn’t just how to drain the fluid, but why the knee is swelling in the first place. Here is what causes a knee to swell, why it often returns, the red flags that need urgent care, and the options that treat the cause rather than just the fluid.
Read guideKneeMeniscus Tear or Arthritis? Why Your Knee Pain May Not Be What You Think
Many adults arrive at my office with knee pain, an MRI report listing a meniscus tear, and the assumption that an arthroscopy will fix it. Sometimes that’s right. Often it isn’t — because the meniscus tear is incidental to an underlying arthritis that arthroscopy can’t address. Telling these two situations apart is one of the most important decisions in knee care.
Read guideHipHip Labral Tear or Arthritis? Why Your Hip Pain May Not Be What You Think
Patients regularly arrive in my office with hip pain, an MRI report listing a labral tear, and the assumption that hip arthroscopy will fix it. Sometimes that is the right answer. Often it is not — because the labral tear is part of an underlying arthritic or impingement process that scope alone cannot address. Telling these situations apart is one of the most important decisions in hip care.
Read guideHipHip Stiffness: Causes, What It Means, and When to Have It Evaluated
Hip stiffness is one of the most common — and most overlooked — early signs of a hip-joint problem. Patients often dismiss it as "getting older" until functional limitations start to add up: putting on socks, getting out of a car, crossing a leg. Understanding what your hip stiffness is telling you is the first step toward the right plan, and surgery is rarely the first step.
Read guideHipHip Pain When Walking: Causes, What It Means, and When to Have It Evaluated
Hip pain when walking is one of the earliest — and most reliable — signals that something is changing in the hip joint. Walking loads the joint cyclically, several times your body weight per step, so a hip that handles standing comfortably can still hurt on a long walk. Identifying the cause is the first step toward the right plan, and surgery is rarely the first step.
Read guideKneeSwelling Behind the Knee: What a Baker’s Cyst Is and What to Do About It
Swelling behind the knee in an adult is almost always a Baker’s cyst — a fluid-filled outpouching from inside the knee joint. The cyst itself is rarely the real problem. In adults, it’s usually a visible signal that something else is going on inside the knee — most often arthritis or a meniscus tear producing extra joint fluid. Treating the underlying cause is the answer, not the cyst.
Read guideIn-depth, surgeon-authored guides to the specific conditions behind hip and knee pain — and the full range of treatment options.
Hip Osteoarthritis: Symptoms & Treatment
Hip osteoarthritis is the gradual wearing of the cartilage in the hip joint. It can’t be reversed — but it can be managed well, often for years, with the right plan. Here is how it feels, how it tends to progress, and the full range of options, from activity changes and injections to replacement when the time is right.
Read guideKneeKnee Osteoarthritis: Symptoms & Treatment
Knee osteoarthritis is the gradual wearing of the cartilage that cushions the knee. It can’t be reversed — but it can be managed well, often for years, with the right plan. Here is how it feels, how it tends to progress, and the full range of options, from activity changes and injections to partial or total replacement when the time is right.
Read guideHipAvascular Necrosis (AVN) of the Hip: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Options
Avascular necrosis (AVN), also called osteonecrosis, is different from arthritis: it happens when the blood supply to the ball of the hip is disrupted, and the bone can weaken and eventually collapse. Many patients have never heard of it before an MRI reveals it. The reassuring news is that treatment depends heavily on the stage — not everyone needs a hip replacement, and earlier stages may have hip-preserving options.
Read guideHipHip Impingement (FAI): A Cause of Labral Tears and Early Hip Arthritis
Femoroacetabular impingement — FAI — is an anatomic shape mismatch between the ball and socket of the hip that causes the bone to pinch the labrum and articular cartilage during normal motion. Over years, that abnormal loading produces labral tears and accelerates the development of hip arthritis. Understanding where you are on that continuum — and treating the right thing at each stage — is what makes the difference.
Read guideHipHip Dysplasia in Adults: DDH, Perthes, and the Path to Hip Replacement
Hip dysplasia in adults — including developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and the long-term effects of childhood Legg-Calvé-Perthes — is an anatomic predisposition to early hip arthritis. Patients with these conditions often develop hip pain in their 20s, 30s, or 40s rather than their 70s. The right care depends on where you are on the continuum from healthy anatomy to advanced arthritis, and modern hip replacement does very well in these patients when the time comes.
Read guideKneePost-Traumatic Arthritis: When an Old Injury Catches Up
Post-traumatic arthritis is arthritis that develops in a joint after a prior injury — sometimes decades later. ACL tears, meniscus injuries, fractures, and dislocations all change how the joint loads and wears, and over time those changes produce the same arthritis process that happens with age-related osteoarthritis, often earlier and often in just the injured joint.
Read guideNot sure what’s causing your pain?
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Harb to discuss your hip or knee and build a plan to get you back to the activities you love.