Are You Suffering From
Knee Pain?
Knee MRI
Find An Answer For Knee Pain
Knee Pain is a very common condition affecting people who have an active life.
Many people are confused or even frustrated about how to solve the problem.
They are often told that their only options are rest, exercise, or even surgery.
At The Pain Relief Clinic, we understand that patients want a safe, fast-acting, effective, and long-lasting solution that is also affordable.
We help our patients properly make sense of their condition before providing a practical answer to their problem.
What Causes Knee Ache, Pain and Stiffness?
Many people suffer from knee pain, aches and stiffness.
While there are sometimes dangerous reasons such as an infection, tumors, and fractures, most causes are mechanical.
Mechanical causes of knee pain include:
- knee sprains
- degenerative knee osteoarthritis (wear and tear)
- meniscus tear
- anterior and posterior cruciate ligament tears (ACL tear, PCL sprain)
- medial and lateral collateral ligament injury (MCL injury, LCL tear)
These causes of knee pain are usually not dangerous, they can cause significant distress, making it hard to walk, causing time off work, affect a person’s social interactions and result in poor mood.
What Should I Do If I Suffer From Knee Pain and Stiffness?
Mild cases of knee pain may resolve with a short rest.
It is always a good idea to consult a doctor if the pain does not resolve after a few days.
Where the knee pain is severe, or when there is an obvious emergency such as an accident causing a potential fracture, it is important to consult a knee pain doctor urgently.
Other situations where it is important to consult a doctor urgently include when there are “red flags” such as a fever, loss of weight, generally feeling ill and experiencing pain that wakes you up from sleep.
In long standing conditions which have been properly assessed by your doctor to not be dangerous or in mild cases of knee sprain, rest and self-help measures can provide good pain relief.
What Are Common Knee Pain Treatments?
For many patients, their doctors will likely prescribe rest and medications for a short period of time. Long-term medications are less likely to be curative and risk potential side effects.
Physiotherapy when properly applied is another well accepted solution to achieve pain relief.
Using techniques such as manual therapy, medical massage, ultrasound, stretches and exercises, it can have a good result in many cases.
Why Are My Treatments Not Working?
When the previous treatments are not successful, we often find a few common factors:
- The previous diagnosis was not precise. Imaging scans and clinical experience can be needed in these cases.
- Treatment was prescribed which took into account only one aspect of the condition. For example, painkillers may treat only the inflammatory component of degenerative knee pain without addressing the underlying wear and tear.
- Limited available options available. Patients were only recommended rest and exercise instead of newer medical solutions.
- Patients were offered impractical treatment plans which they could not accept. Common examples include being offered expensive and frequent treatments for extended periods.
Do I Need To Do an X-ray or MRI?
Many mild cases of knee pain can be well managed by an experienced doctor who can provide a clinical diagnosis based on your clinical history and physical examination.
However if your initial treatments have not been effective, an X-ray is a cost-effective way to rule out most dangerous underlying problems.
In severe cases, an MRI is needed to provide a precise diagnosis.
What Is An MRI Scan?
An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) Scan is a medical technology that has revolutionized the management of people with knee pain.
It is often considered the single best imaging modality for diagnosing the precise cause of the problem and gold standard to help with planning appropriate treatment for knee problems.
Why Do People Delay Doing MRIs for Knee Pain?
An MRI is a very safe investigation and does not involve radiation associated with X-rays.
It is often the preferred scan for someone with severe or persistent knee pain.
The main reason holding people and even doctors from requesting Knee MRIs is the misconception that they cost too much.
While a quick check with some private imaging centres will likely reveal the costs of an MRI to be well over a thousand Singapore dollars, there are often ways to reduce the cash involved.
3 Ways To Reduce Your MRI Costs
- Singaporean patients may visit a polyclinic for a referral to a restructured hospital. If the doctor in the restructured hospital agrees to order an MRI for your knee, the government subsidy given will significantly reduce the cost involved.
- Many insurance plans will cover the costs of your MRIs. Company health insurance plans, personal accident insurance plans, and even integrated shield plans that many Singaporeans have bought using their medisave can cover the costs of an MRI scan.
- Medisave is also an option to help people pay for their MRI scans. Depending on your medical condition, it is possible to claim up to $300 or $600 of medisave for your MRI scans.
At The Pain Relief Clinic, the cost of an MRI starts at $800 and above
In view of the many options available, an MRI scan should be considered for a timely precise diagnosis of the cause of a person’s knee pain.
A delayed diagnosis can allow many conditions to deteriorate, sometimes to the point of requiring surgery.
It will also prevent you from getting the most effective treatment, result in unnecessarily prolonged suffering, as well as limit your work and social life.
Is Surgery Necessary?
In rare occasions of medical emergency such as a fracture and an unstable joint, surgery is a necessary option.
In most other cases, even where pain and stiffness are severe or have been present for a long time, there are multiple non-surgical options that a patient should first consider.
As surgery can have significant risks and cost, it is important to balance this against the potential benefits expected in detail.
At the Pain Relief Clinic, we use multiple different approaches to help patients achieve freedom from knee pain.
Most of our patients use a combination of non-invasive medical solutions and nutritional correction with very good results.
Others who prefer a fast minimally invasive approach use injections to regain a pain-free life.
I Had Surgery And It Did Not Work. Why?
In rare cases, patients may continue to suffer from symptoms of pain and stiffness after surgery.
This can be a source of significant frustration especially when you expected surgery to be a dramatic “last hope”.
It can also be confusing when you are told “the scans are okay” or “the surgery was successful” but do not feel better.
This can be a complex condition and there are many possible reasons.
In some instances, the body has not had enough time to fully recover and symptoms will improve with rest.
At times, there could be some technical aspects of surgery that should best be discussed with your surgeon.
There are also cases where a patient’s original symptoms are caused by multiple factors such as inflammation, joint dysfunction, degeneration, and muscular trigger points.
Surgery may correct one specific cause of the patient’s symptoms but not be able to address the other causes.
In such instances, a comprehensive post-surgery treatment plan is likely needed.
What Treatment Options Can You Provide For My Knee Pain?
We adopt a targeted approach that addresses how the multiple component causes of pain affect you.
This allows us to provide treatment strategy that targets the root causes of your condition using medical technology in a comprehensive and cost-effective way.
Depend on your specific condition, some of the useful options that can give very good results include:
- Dietary Correction
- Non-Invasive Shockwave Therapy which stimulates long-lasting healing very cost-effectively
- Radiofrequency Therapy which gives rapid recovery from knee pain
- Rehabilitative Electromedical Stimulation
Call / SMS / WhatsApp: +65 9068 9605
Our Non-Invasive Medical Solutions
Shockwave Therapy is used internationally as a non-invasive method of treating pain and inflammation using high energy acoustic waves
Non-Invasive Radiofrequency treatment used by leading professional sports teams, hospitals and clinics across Europe and Japan for pain relief
Electromedical Stimulation is cleared by the US FDA for Muscle Conditioning, it offers powerful applications in sports science, rehabilitation medicine and pain therapy
Call / SMS / WhatsApp: +65 9068 9605
Our Doctor
As the principal pain doctor in Singapore running The Pain Relief Clinic, Dr Terence Tan’s passion for pain relief grew out of personal experience.
Having spent well over a decade treating patients suffering from pain, Dr Tan developed his special interest by introducing non-invasive pain solutions and tissue repair technologies into Singapore.
Dr Tan combines multiple FDA approved and EU CE marked non-invasive pain treatments into comprehensive clinical practice.
He frequently shares his expertise in seminars both locally and overseas.
He is accredited with both the Family Physician Accreditation Board and the Singapore Medical Council.
He is also a member of the Singapore Medical Association and The Pain Association of Singapore.
Committed to providing result oriented pain treatments, his philosophy is to always offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive treatments available.
His patients appreciate the value of being able to have consultations, investigations (xray, ultrasound and MRI), and treatments all done on the same day, especially when they are suffering from severe pain.
Dr Tan’s clinical approach is that while there is a role for short term medications in specific situations, patients do not generally want to be dependent on long term painkillers or try risky solutions.
Even in age related, “wear and tear”, and other chronic conditions, a comprehensive yet targeted approach can help patients be free from pain and lead a healthy active life.
Workshop In Indonesia
Health Education @ OCBC
Demonstration @ Serangoon Gardens Country Club
Presentation @ Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Sharing Session in Vietnam
Training Myanmar Doctors Pain Treatment Techniques
Call / SMS / WhatsApp: +65 9068 9605
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which Patients Benefit From Your Treatments?
Patients with both short term as well as long term pain conditions, especially those who have unsuccessfully tried other treatments, can benefit from our treatments.
How Is The Pain Relief Clinic Different From Other GP clinics, Specialist Clinics, Physiotherapists And Chiropractors?
Most GP clinics often focus on education and medications. Specialist clinics often emphasize invasive procedures and surgery which may not be appropriate for some patients. Physiotherapists often exercises, massage, rehabilitation, and heat treatments. Chiropractors tend to do manipulations of the spine.
At The Pain Relief Clinic, our doctor will first go through your medical history, conduct an examination, and where appropriate, order some investigations, before recommending a treatment based on your condition.
Our aim is usually to achieve long-lasting pain relief by repairing the underlying cause of your medical condition.
Treatments may include medications, nutritional correction and strengthening exercises but most effective are the non-invasive treatments such as shockwave therapy.
How Effective Are The Treatments And How Many Treatments Are Required?
In general, for acute, short-term conditions, patients can expect good relief within 1 or 2 treatments. For patients with long-term, severe pain, who have unsuccessfully tried other treatments, most will still experience improvement in 1 or 2 visits, but may need more sessions for ideal results.
Are The Fees Expensive?
The fees will depend on your specific condition and preferred treatment approach. Our standard first consultation charge is $50 unless your condition is extremely complex.
Treatments are typically more cost-effective than paying for long-term medications and surgery.
Can I Pay Using Insurance?
Many of our patients have their medical bills covered by insurance.
Common types of insurance plans include:
- Medical Outpatient coverage by employers.
- Travel Insurance claims for patients and tourists injured while on holiday. This includes many types of sudden onset neck and back pain or stiffness, as well as knee and shoulder injuries.
- Personal Accident insurance plans for patients who suffer pain due to sprains, falls and other accidental injuries.
- Personal Outpatient medical policies.
- Integrated Shield Plans that many Singaporeans have bought using their Medisave can be very useful to cover medical treatments.
- Hospital and Surgical Plans are also commonly used by many patients.
Can I Use Medisave?
This will depend on your medical diagnosis after consultation with our doctor.
Under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), the Ministry of Health (MOH) allows the use of Medisave for outpatient treatment for some medical conditions that can cause joint and muscle aches, pain and stiffness in many patients.
For each bill, patients will need to co-pay 15% of the bill in cash. Medisave can be used to pay for the remaining amount.
Withdrawals will be subject to an annual outpatient withdrawal limit of $500 per Medisave account.
Our doctor is an “approved medical practitioner” under the MediSave and MediShield Life Schemes.
Where Is Your Clinic Located?
Our Singapore clinic is located at Shaw House, #10-00, 350 Orchard Road, Singapore 238868.
What If Orchard Is To Far For Me To Visit?
If you are unable to visit us in Orchard, we have 6 partnering clinics conveniently located around Singapore.
They are located in Jurong, Redhill, Bishan, Geylang, Novena, and Bukit Timah. Simply contact us to find out which location works best for you.
Our Clinic History
The Pain Relief Clinic started providing non-invasive treatments in 2007.
Our brand of cost-effective pain treatments combines traditional techniques with approved medical technology to achieve optimal results for patients from over 29 countries.
Over the past decade we have grown into an international medical group of doctors and physiotherapists with clinics in Singapore and Indonesia, and a new clinic planned for Cambodia.
Call / SMS / WhatsApp: +65 9068 9605
3 Common Misconceptions about Pain
- My pain is persistent. I’ve tried gels, painkillers, injections and alternative treatments which did not work. There is no choice except for surgery.
- My pain is due to wear and tear, age related degeneration. Nothing much can be done, while it gets worse with time. I must just learn to live with it.
- My pain is due sports injury and exercise causing a muscle, ligament or cartilage tear. The only options are resting, physiotherapy, steroid injections and maybe surgery.
The Importance of Treating Pain Effectively
Acute pain from recent injuries and other diseases can result in time off work, difficulty with participation in sports, and interfere with other normal day activities.
Persistent pain from chronic injuries, wear and tear, nerve pain, and other causes often results in frustration, low energy level, poor sleep (insomnia), irritability, depressed mood, difficulty with concentration and memory, mobility problems and even reduced sexual function.
Relationships with friends and family, work, personal happiness and life in general may also be affected. Pain has even been associated with loss of brain mass.
By properly treating persistent pain, patients will be able to enjoy work, sports, and life in general more effectively.
Sleep will also become more restful, resulting in more energetic days and better moods.
More importantly, pain and its underlying cause must be properly treated to prevent it from getting worse, and deteriorating to the point where surgery and other invasive treatments become necessary.
If you are unsure of the cause for your aches, pain or stiffness, if your condition has not improved despite other treatments, or if you have been told to consider surgery,
Simply Call, SMS or WhatsApp us to explore your options:
+65 9068 9605
What To Expect When I Visit The Pain Relief Clinic
A typical visit will involve our doctor first understanding your medical history, concerns and previous experience with other pain treatments.
For patients who have consulted many people but have yet to receive a clear diagnosis, selecting an affordable imaging scan might be recommended to confirm the cause of your pain..
Some patients have already done scans with other doctors for their pain condition but are still not clearly told what they suffer from.
Dr Terence Tan is happy to offer you a second opinion and recommend how best to manage your condition.
We also see patients who already have a confirmed diagnosis from specialist pain doctors, but are "stuck” because treatment options offered are not practical or acceptable.
We can help by discussing options that you might have potentially never been told of.
A common experience is when a patient has already consulted a specialist doctor for pain management and is told to consider orthopaedic surgery which they find too aggressive.
Or they may have seen doctors for their pain and were prescribed painkillers with potential side effects which made them feel uncomfortable.
Many of our patients have also first tried complementary treatments or acupuncture with traditional Chinese pain doctors.
They look for a second opinion after finding any relief experienced from other treatments to be temporary or requiring repetitive treatments, which add up to time and cost.
Especially in such situations, we emphasize using non-invasive medical technology you likely have not been told about .
This can make a big difference to your results.
Ask Dr Tan a Question about your problem
Find out how your pain can be more effectively treated.
For enquiries, Call +65 6732 2397
THE PAIN RELIEF CLINIC
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The Pain Relief Clinic started providing non-invasive medical therapy in 2007. Our brand of cost-effective pain treatments combines traditional techniques with new medical technology to achieve fast and long lasting results. We have since grown into an international medical group of doctors and physiotherapists with clinics in Singapore, Surabaya and Jakarta.
You May Qualify For Cashless Scans & Treatments
We believe that access to medical services should be stress-free.
Singaporeans, permanent residents, and some international patients may be eligible for cashless services.
This can remove the need to pay cash upfront, solving a potential problem even for patients with insurance coverage.
You should be focused on getting answers and starting correct treatment, not worrying about large upfront bills.
To check your eligibility, send us a message.
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