In late December, a 63-year-old housekeeper began experiencing progressively worsening pain in her right knee. Her initial assumption — and that of her primary care provider — was that this was a gout flare, a condition she had experienced before.
When conservative measures failed to provide relief, she came to Genesis Orthopedics in January for a specialist evaluation. Despite initial treatment with oral steroids and activity modification, the pain persisted at a level that required:
Use of a cane for mobility
Knee bracing for daily activities
Full time off work — no light duty was available through her employer
An MRI was ordered to get a definitive diagnosis. Results revealed a medial meniscus tear with an associated Baker’s cyst — a fluid-filled sac behind the knee that commonly develops alongside meniscus damage. This confirmed that this was not a gout flare at all, but a structural orthopedic injury requiring targeted treatment.
The Genesis orthopedic team took a conservative-first approach to this case — which is central to how we treat musculoskeletal injuries at every stage.
Rather than defaulting to surgery for a diagnosed meniscus tear, the treating surgeon evaluated the full clinical picture and determined that a corticosteroid injection trial combined with structured rest could resolve the condition non-surgically.
This approach reflects several core principles of care at Genesis:
Conservative treatment first — surgery only when conservative options have been exhausted
Accurate diagnosis drives treatment — MRI confirmed the true cause (meniscus tear) vs. the assumed cause (gout)
Workers’ compensation expertise — Genesis managed the case documentation, work restriction paperwork, and return-to-work clearance
Coordinated care — from initial evaluation through imaging, injection, recovery, and final clearance, all managed within the Genesis system
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