Is that knee injury going to heal on its own? Expert care in Southern Utah

You twist your knee playing pickleball. It starts aching after a long day in the yard. Maybe there wasn’t an obvious injury at all, but the pain has been hanging around. How long should you give it before getting it checked?

Many knee injuries can improve with time and basic care. Others need medical attention, and a smaller number may eventually need surgery. Knowing what to watch for can help you decide when to give your knee time and when to get expert care.

“A lot of it is pain that doesn’t go away, especially after you’ve given it a little time,” says Robert D. Jamieson, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital. “When it starts to affect your ability to do what you want to do, or you’re having to take medications for it, it’s time to have somebody take a look.”

What knee injuries can heal on their own?

“There are certainly injuries that our bodies have the ability to heal,” says Darin Allred, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Intermountain Health’s Southwest Orthopedics/Sports Medicine Clinic in St. George.

Examples include:

• Bruises: A fall or direct hit can leave the tissues around your knee sore and tender.
• Strains: A strain affects a muscle or tendon and can happen when the tissue is stretched or overworked.
• Sprains: A sprain affects a ligament, the strong tissue that helps stabilize a joint.
• Some MCL sprains: The medial collateral ligament, or MCL, runs along the inside of the knee. Some MCL injuries can heal with time and support.
• Some partial ligament or tendon tears: A partial tear means some of the tissue remains intact, giving the body an opportunity to heal.
• Arthritis flares: Extra activity can temporarily aggravate an arthritic knee. Dr. Allred says these flares often settle back toward their usual level over a week or two with rest, ice, activity changes, and appropriate anti-inflammatory medication.
• Meniscus tears: Some can become less bothersome without surgery. “There are many people walking around with meniscus tears who don’t even know they have one because it doesn’t hurt,” Dr. Allred says. “Sometimes it flares up, but then the pain goes away and is tolerable.”

When should you get a knee injury checked?

Some symptoms deserve prompt attention. Others become more concerning when they stick around. Consider getting your knee checked if:

• You can’t put weight on your leg: Severe pain that prevents you from standing or walking after an injury should be evaluated promptly.
• Your knee is red, hot, or swollen: Dr. Jamieson recommends acute care for these symptoms, particularly when they appear with significant pain.
• You’ve had a major injury or knee dislocation: Dr. Allred points to certain fractures and knee dislocations as injuries that may require immediate evaluation and treatment.
• Your pain keeps hanging around: “If you’ve had continued pain for more than three to four weeks that doesn’t go away or seem to be getting better, that’s a good time to come in,” Dr. Allred says.
• You’re changing what you do because of your knee: Limping, repeatedly reaching for pain medication, or skipping activities you normally enjoy are all reasons to get answers.

Can you still walk with a serious knee injury?

Yes. Being able to walk isn’t a reliable test of how serious an injury is.

The muscles, tendons, and ligaments around the knee can sometimes compensate when one structure is injured. Someone with a significant injury may still be able to get around.

An ACL tear is one example.

“Some things won’t heal on their own, like an ACL tear, because of the blood supply,” Dr. Jamieson says. “But some people live with an ACL tear and get by okay.”

Dr. Jamieson has seen patients with chronic ACL tears who don’t remember when the injury happened. Walking on the knee alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

Many knee problems can be treated without surgery

“Not everybody who has arthritis has their knee replaced. Not everybody who tears their ACL has it fixed, and not everybody who has a meniscus tear has it fixed,” Dr. Jamieson says. “Can you do the things you want to do?”

For many knee problems, care starts with nonsurgical options.

“We do a lot of non-operative care,” Dr. Jamieson says. That can include rest, ice, compression, elevation, bracing, injections, physical therapy, medication, and activity changes.

An MCL sprain, for example, may benefit from a brace that gives the knee extra support while it heals. Providers can often learn a lot from a physical exam and may use an X-ray or MRI when more information is needed.

“There’s no harm in having information,” Dr. Allred says. An evaluation can help you understand whether you can safely stay active, modify what you’re doing, or start treatment.

When knee replacement is the right next step

Recovery after total joint replacement has changed significantly over the past decade. Dr. Allred says patients once routinely spent several days in the hospital. Today, some patients go home within hours of surgery, and a typical patient may use a cane or walker for several days before walking independently.

Intermountain Health has also brought robotic-assisted knee replacement technology to Southern Utah. Southwest Orthopedics/Sports Medicine Clinic is the first and only clinic in the region to offer VELYS™ Robotic-Assisted Surgery for total knee replacement, introduced in St. George in November 2024.

VELYS uses data about a patient’s knee to help surgeons plan the operation around that person’s anatomy and align the implants with greater precision.

“The key to this technology is it enhances the preparation and accuracy while also better customizing the care for each patient,” says Dr. Jamieson. “It allows us to really know the end from the beginning.”

Dr. Allred says robotic assistance can offer additional benefits: “Additionally, robotic assistance can result in smaller incisions, reduced soft tissue damage, and less post-operative pain. These advantages often lead to quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays, and better overall outcomes for patients.”

Robotic assistance is one option. Traditional knee replacement remains available, and surgeons discuss the appropriate approach with each patient.

Leading orthopedic care close to home in Southern Utah

Patients seeking knee replacement surgery in Southern Utah have access to an orthopedic program that combines experienced surgeons, advanced technology, and nationally recognized hospital care.

Drs. Jamieson and Allred perform more than 500 joint replacements each year and helped introduce Southern Utah’s first VELYS™ robotic-assisted knee replacement program. By May 2025, just months after VELYS was introduced in St. George, the program had already completed more than 250 robotic-assisted knee replacements.

Their surgeries are performed at St. George Regional Hospital, a nationally recognized hospital that U.S. News & World Report named No. 1 in Utah for 2026–2027. The hospital also ranked No. 1 nationally among large, specialized complex care medical centers in Vizient’s 2025 Quality and Accountability Study and has received specialty-care recognition from Newsweek.

That level of care extends beyond joint replacement. Intermountain Health in Southern Utah also offers orthopedic urgent care, sports medicine, general orthopedic care, nonsurgical treatment, and rehabilitation.

Your knee may need time, a brace, physical therapy, another nonsurgical treatment, or, in some cases, surgery. Intermountain Health can help you understand what your knee needs and get you back to moving.

“Our goal is to help our patients keep moving,” Dr. Jamieson says.