Knee pain is very discomforting and painful. However, with new advancements in the medical field, lots of treatment options are available to treat knee pain. Learn all types of different treatment options available for knee pain in this article.

Types of treatment options for knee pain management

Knee pain management depends on age, severity, underlying cause, and overall health. Your doctor will determine what type of treatment options are good for you. Here’s a list of treatment options available for knee pain management:

1. Physical therapy:

Physical therapy can help you manage knee arthritis which causes joint pain and stiffness. You need to work with a physical therapist, who guides you on what exercises you need to do to increase your strength, and mobility, and make yourself active as before.

Research studies found that strengthening the quadriceps muscles with quadriceps strengthening exercises can improve your knee stability and function, which reduces your pain and increases mobility.

Therapists can also use different therapies like ice and heat, electrical nerve stimulation, and other therapies to increase blood flow to the knee. So, make sure you work with a licensed therapist which ensures you get better with physical therapy.

• Medications:

Usually, physicians try to limit the medications prescribed, however, some medications can improve your knee pain and treat your underlying cause. These are:

• NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications effectively reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness related to knee arthritis. These medications are easily available and well-tolerated by most patients.
• Other medications: Other medications may be prescribed to reduce knee arthritis symptoms including disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, antibiotics for infections, steroids for gout, glucosamine sulfate, and hyaluronic acid for knee arthritis.

• Injections:

In case you experience knee pain even after medications and therapy, then this joint injection is used to manage pain. Several types of injections are used to manage pain:

• Steroid injections (cortisone shots): Corticosteroid injections are used to provide short-term pain relief and reduce inflammation. It is directly injected into the wound and starts working within hours after injection. However, it may have side effects and regular use can lead to cartilage damage so, doctors don’t recommend it for long-term use.
• Hyaluronic acid injections: These injections are used to lubricate knee joints which reduce friction and pain. Hyaluronic acid is a natural component of joint fluid that helps to lubricate the joint. These injections have minimal side effects and well-tolerated injections in many people. However, due to a lack of research, doctors don’t recommend it for routine use.
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: These injections are made with your blood which can promote healing and reduce inflammation. As it uses your blood, it causes minimal side effects, and it contains platelet-rich plasma, so, it also promotes tissue regeneration due to growth factor’s ability. However, due to getting mixed results in studies, doctors don’t recommend this therapy for severe injuries.
• Regenerative injection therapy: Also known as prolotherapy, it involves a natural irritant solution that is injected into the injured area to stimulate tissue repair. The effectiveness of prolotherapy for knee arthritis is still under research, however, early results look promising. A systematic review published in the Journal of Prolotherapy shows that patients with knee osteoarthritis experience pain relief and improve knee function with prolotherapy. However, for long-term efficacy, further research is needed.
• Stem cell injections: These injections help to stimulate new cells and tissues by replacing the damaged ones, which reduces pain and inflammation. As it uses your body’s healing mechanism to build new cells and tissues from stem cells, it has low side effects. However, more studies are needed to confirm that stem cell therapy is safe and effective for knee arthritis. That’s why experts don’t recommend stem cell injections.

• Assistive devices:

In some cases, doctors recommend the use of assistive devices such as braces and knee sleeves, to get support and stability for the knee joint, reducing pain and preventing damage. A study published in the Journal of Orthopedic Research and Therapy shows that knee braces can significantly improve knee stability and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Doctors usually prescribe custom-fit devices for personalized support according to individual needs.

• Surgery:

Surgery is recommended if other treatments don’t work, you have certain types of ligament injuries, knee dislocation, knee fractures, infected knee joints that need surgical drain, joint replacement, etc. Usually, minimally invasive surgeries like arthroscopic or osteotomy surgery are used for knee arthritis. In severe cases, knee replacement surgery is used.

In arthroscopic surgery, doctors make small incisions by using a camera to repair cartilage or meniscus tears inside the knee or to remove bone or cartilage fragments. If you experience symptoms like sharp pain, catching, or locking, then arthroscopic surgery is for you. It can eliminate the requirement for knee replacement surgery.

In osteotomy, a surgeon cuts your shin or thigh bone to shift the load away from the arthritic area to the healthy area. It is recommended for younger patients with deformity or damage only on one side of the knee. It is also an alternative to knee replacement surgery. However, this surgery makes it difficult to get a successful knee replacement surgery later on.

• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS):

It is a non-invasive treatment to relieve pain by using electrical stimulation. Electrical pads are connected to your skin which pass low-voltage electrical currents to disrupt pain signals.

A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research found that TENS can provide short-term pain relief and improve physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. You can use TENS at home with a doctor’s guidance.

Besides these treatment options, some home remedies like rest, ice, or heat therapy are used to relieve knee pain.

When to go to a doctor?

If you experience any of the following symptoms in your knee, you should visit a doctor for treatment:

• Deformity of knee joint.
• Difficulty walking
• Knee instability
• Inability to hold weight
• Long-term pain or discomfort
• Pain that doesn’t let you sleep
• Redness or swelling around the joint
• Reduce range of motion
• Less sensation in the joint.

Your knee pain treatment depends on many factors like severity, age, overall health, and underlying cause of your pain. Your doctor chooses what treatment option is best for your knee pain based on your diagnosis. However, you can discuss other treatment methods with your doctor if the previous treatment method doesn’t work for you. Lifestyle changes along with treatment can relieve your symptoms and improve your knee health.

If you need help with your knee pain, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn for professional medical treatment. All treatment options are available with lifestyle guidance to improve knee health. If you need help with a knee injury or conditions that cause pain, then, visit our pain management clinic for professional medical help. Our doctors guide you on how you can manage your wounds naturally and provide regular monitoring services. Your knee pain needs professional assistance, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn today or call to get a consultation. The location at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 is well-served by public transportation, including many bus routes, and the subway line. Visit our website at http://www.painmanagementbrooklyn.com/ or to contact us on +1-347-384-5690 for additional details.