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Knee
knee
Knee
Knee Treatment
Not every painful knee needs replacing. Early-stage disease often responds to arthroscopic or regenerative treatment — send your imaging and find out which stage you are actually at.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- ✓Pain on stairs or standing up from a chair
- ✓Swelling after activity that settles overnight
- ✓Locking, catching or a sensation of the knee giving way
- ✓Morning stiffness that eases after moving
- ✓Pain on the inner or outer side when walking
If two or more of these apply and have lasted more than six weeks, an imaging review is worth doing before you commit to any treatment.
Conditions We Assess
Commonly Reviewed
- ✓Knee osteoarthritis
- ✓Meniscus tear
- ✓ACL rupture
Also Assessed
- ✓Cartilage defect
- ✓Patellofemoral pain
- ✓Sports-related ligament injury
Treatment Options
Options run from conservative care through to surgery. Which one applies depends on your imaging — the review tells you where you sit on this range.
Injection therapy
What it involves
Image-guided intra-articular injection
Hospital stay
Day case
Typical recovery
Days
Knee arthroscopy
What it involves
Keyhole meniscus repair or debridement
Hospital stay
1–2 days
Typical recovery
2–6 weeks
Ligament reconstruction
What it involves
Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction
Hospital stay
2–3 days
Typical recovery
6–9 months to sport
Partial knee replacement
What it involves
Single-compartment implant, bone preserving
Hospital stay
3–5 days
Typical recovery
4–8 weeks
Total knee replacement
What it involves
Imported implant, full joint resurfacing
Hospital stay
5–7 days
Typical recovery
8–12 weeks
Information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute medical advice or a diagnosis. Treatment options, recovery times and outcomes vary by individual case and are determined by your treating consultant after review of your imaging.
Know Your Stage Before You Decide
Stage determines the option. Early-stage disease often responds to injection or arthroscopic treatment; advanced disease does not. Sending your imaging is the only way to know which conversation you should be having.
Indicative Package Price
All-inclusive: surgeon’s fee, anaesthesia, imported implants, consumables and hospital stay. No hidden charges.
Total Knee Replacement
IMC Partner Hospital
from ¥98,000
Overseas Private
¥162,000 – 225,000
You Save
50 – 60%
Overseas price ranges shown on this site are indicative, compiled from publicly available private-hospital pricing, and are provided for comparison only. Actual costs vary by hospital and by individual case. Information on this website is general in nature and does not constitute medical advice.
Who Handles This
Consultants for This Condition
How It Works
1. Enquire
Send your X-ray, CT or MRI report and describe your symptoms.
2. Specialist Review
A consultant reviews your case and returns a plan with full costs within 48 hours.
3. Insurance
We help you obtain pre-approval and prepare bilingual claim documents.
4. Treatment
Your appointment is scheduled and a coordinator follows your case throughout.
Knee — Questions We Are Asked Most
It depends on how much cartilage remains, which is visible on your X-ray and MRI. Arthroscopy does not help advanced arthritis; replacement is not needed for an isolated meniscus tear. The imaging review answers this.
If only one compartment of the knee is worn, a partial implant resurfaces that compartment and leaves the rest of the joint intact. Recovery is usually shorter, but it is only suitable in selected cases.
Most patients are walking with support within days of a replacement. A written rehabilitation plan is provided before discharge and your coordinator follows up remotely.
Imported implant systems are used — the same brands found in leading private hospitals. The specific system is stated in your written treatment plan before you commit.
Send Your Scans. Get a Specialist Opinion in 48 Hours.
Upload your X-ray, CT or MRI report and tell us where it hurts. A consultant reviews your case personally and returns a treatment plan with a full cost breakdown within two working days. The assessment is free and carries no obligation.
Overseas price ranges shown on this site are indicative, compiled from publicly available private-hospital pricing, and are provided for comparison only. Actual costs vary by hospital and by individual case. Information on this website is general in nature and does not constitute medical advice.
Free · No Obligation
Request Your Free Assessment
Tell us where it hurts and send your imaging. A consultant reviews your case personally and returns a written treatment plan with full costs within two working days.
Fastest Route
Send Your Scans on WhatsApp
X-ray, CT and MRI images can be sent straight from your phone. We reply in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Or email info@imcdoctor.com
Your details stay private
Medical information you send is used only to prepare your assessment. It is never shared with third parties.
Overseas price ranges shown on this site are indicative, compiled from publicly available private-hospital pricing, and are provided for comparison only. Actual costs vary by hospital and by individual case. Information on this website is general in nature and does not constitute medical advice.
Knee
Knee Pain: A Specialist Opinion Before You Decide on Surgery
Most knee cases that reach IMC arrive with an operation already suggested somewhere else. The first job is to check whether the imaging supports it — and to say so plainly if it does not.
Free written review · No obligation · Reply within 48 hours
48-Hour Specialist Review
Multilingual Support
Transparent Medical Costs
Symptom Check
Do these sound familiar?
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a way of deciding whether it is worth sending your imaging for a specialist to read.
- Pain going down stairs or standing up from a chair
- Stiffness for the first 20–30 minutes after waking
- Swelling that returns a day after activity
- Catching, locking, or the knee giving way
- Pain at night that wakes you or stops you settling
- Walking distance shrinking month by month
Seek care locally, not remotely
A hot, swollen, acutely painful knee with fever can indicate infection. That needs to be assessed locally the same day — do not wait for a remote review.
What It Might Be
Common Diagnoses and What Is Usually Considered
Common diagnoses
Knee Osteoarthritis
Cartilage loss narrowing the joint space, usually medial first. Graded on weight-bearing X-ray; MRI is not always needed to confirm it.
Meniscus Tear
Degenerative or traumatic. Degenerative tears in an arthritic knee often do not benefit from arthroscopy — the distinction matters and is made on imaging plus history.
ACL / Ligament Injury
Typically a twisting injury with immediate swelling. Reconstruction is considered by activity demand and instability, not by the scan alone.
Focal Cartilage Defect
A localised area of damage in an otherwise preserved joint. Younger patients may be candidates for joint-preserving options rather than replacement.
Patellofemoral Pain
Pain at the front of the knee, worse on stairs and prolonged sitting. Usually managed without surgery.
Post-traumatic Arthritis
Arthritis following an old fracture or ligament injury, often with deformity. Prior operation notes change the plan materially.
Treatment options
Listed as clinical facts. Whether any option applies to you is decided case by case on your imaging and history — no outcome is promised here.
| Option | Typically considered when | Inpatient stay & early recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Structured non-operative care | First line for most osteoarthritis, and for degenerative meniscus tears | No admission. Reassessed at 6–12 weeks |
| Intra-articular injection | Symptom control while a decision is made, or when surgery is not appropriate | Day case. Effect duration varies widely between individuals |
| Arthroscopic meniscus surgery | Mechanical locking or a traumatic tear in a knee without significant arthritis | 2–3 nights. Weight-bearing usually from day 1 |
| ACL reconstruction | Instability that limits activity, in patients who need a pivoting knee | 2–3 nights. Structured rehabilitation over 6–9 months |
| High tibial osteotomy | Younger patients with damage confined to one compartment and correctable alignment | 4–6 nights. Protected weight-bearing for several weeks |
| Unicompartmental replacement | Damage limited to one compartment with intact ligaments | 3–5 nights. Narrower indications than total replacement |
| Total knee replacement | End-stage arthritis across the joint, with pain and function no longer controlled | 5–7 nights. Weight-bearing usually begins day 1–2 |
What to Send
The Imaging a Consultant Actually Needs
Sending the right films the first time is the difference between a 48-hour answer and a two-week round trip of requests.
- The imaging report and the images themselves — PDF, JPG or DICOM
- A short history: when it started, what makes it worse, what you have already tried
- Any previous operation notes for the same joint or region
- Current medication, and any other medical conditions
- Your age, and what you need to get back to doing
Not sure what you have?
Send what you have. The coordinator checks whether anything essential is missing and tells you exactly what to ask your local hospital for — including the specific views.
Cost
Indicative Package Ranges for This Area
| Treatment Option | Estimated Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Total Knee Replacement (unilateral) | USD 9,800 – 15,500 |
| Unicompartmental Knee Replacement | USD 8,200 – 12,600 |
| Arthroscopic Meniscus or ACL Repair | USD 4,500 – 8,200 |
Indicative package estimates compiled from publicly available partner-hospital price lists as of August 2026. Provided for comparison only — not a quotation. Your final figure depends on imaging findings, implant selection, other medical conditions and length of stay, and is confirmed in writing before admission.
Get a figure for your own case
Send your report and we return an itemised estimate for the options a consultant identifies — at no charge.
Who Reviews This
Consultants Who Take Knee Cases
Send the report even if you are unsure which subspecialty applies — routing it correctly is the coordinator’s job, not yours.
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FAQ
Knee — Questions Patients Ask
That is your decision, but a second reading of the same imaging costs nothing here and is common. The consultant states which findings support replacement, whether a smaller operation would do, and what happens if you wait. Sometimes the answer is that replacement is clearly indicated — that is a useful answer too.
A weight-bearing X-ray (standing AP, lateral, and skyline views) is the single most useful film — a lying-down X-ray understates joint space loss. MRI is helpful for meniscus, ligament and cartilage questions. If you have had previous knee surgery, the operation notes matter as much as the scan.
For a degenerative meniscus tear in a knee that already has arthritis, current practice generally does not favour arthroscopy — the tear is often a marker of the arthritis rather than the cause of the pain. For a traumatic tear that mechanically locks the knee, the reasoning is different. Which situation applies to you is what the review establishes.
That is a clinical decision made by the treating team based on your recovery, mobility and thrombosis risk, not a fixed number. It is discussed with you before admission so you can plan, and confirmed before discharge.
Bilateral surgery is possible in selected cases but carries different risks and a different recovery profile from staged surgery. The consultant will set out both routes and the factors that point one way or the other for your case.
Ask about your own case
Attach your imaging report on WhatsApp. A coordinator confirms receipt the same working day and tells you if anything is missing.
Other Areas
Not the Right Page?
Spine
Cervical and lumbar disc problems, sciatica, spinal stenosis, and when fusion is or is not indicated.
Hip
Hip osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, femoroacetabular impingement and hip replacement assessment.
Shoulder
Rotator cuff tears, frozen shoulder, recurrent instability and arthroscopic repair options.
Have a Consultant Read Your Knee Imaging
Send your report today. A specialist review costs you nothing and carries no obligation to proceed.
English · 廣東話 · 普通話 | Replies Mon–Sat, 09:00–19:00 HKT
Medical Assessment
Submit Your Medical Assessment
Send your imaging and a short history. A consultant in the relevant subspecialty reviews it and you receive a written summary of the options identified — normally within 48 hours.
Prefer to message us?
WhatsApp is the fastest route. You can send photos of your report directly in the chat, in English, 廣東話 or 普通話.
Before you send
Tick what you already have. The message will list it for you — a complete first message is what makes a 48-hour turnaround possible.
Nothing is stored by this checklist. It only builds the text of your first message.
Your files are used only to arrange a specialist review and are not published anywhere.
Medical Disclaimer
The information on this website is provided for general reference and does not constitute a diagnosis, a treatment recommendation, or medical advice. It is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified physician, and no doctor–patient relationship is created by using this site or by submitting an assessment form. Treatment options, recovery times and outcomes vary between individuals and depend on clinical findings. IMC coordinates access to independent hospitals and their medical staff; the treating hospital and physician remain responsible for clinical decisions and care. If you are experiencing severe pain, loss of function, numbness or any emergency symptom, seek immediate care locally.
IMC arranges medical assessment, specialist appointments and treatment coordination only. IMC does not arrange flights, accommodation, visas or any other non-medical itinerary.