Knee pain can have an effect on your day-to-day life, especially if it lingers. When you’re unable to find effective treatment for knee pain, you might experience trouble walking, kneeling, playing sports and doing other physical activities and movements. Different kinds of treatments are available for this type of pain, depending on how severe it is and what is causing it. Learning more about different types of knee pain treatments can help you better understand your options.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a type of treatment that involves making the muscles surrounding your knee joint stronger, which helps stabilize your knee. This type of therapy can also help you improve your range of motion if it’s been limited due to a knee injury. During physical therapy, your therapist will guide you through various exercises that focus on strengthening your knee joint and restoring flexibility. Your doctor might recommend physical therapy for ongoing knee pain that isn’t improving with other types of treatment.
Medication
Medication can provide relief from knee pain on a temporary basis. Your doctor might recommend over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, if you have mild to severe knee pain. If an underlying condition, such as arthritis, is causing knee pain, your doctor might recommend other types of medication to ease inflammation. You should always check with your doctor before taking medication for knee pain.
Heat and Cold
Applying ice packs or a heating pad to your sore knee can help ease pain. Heating pads or heat packs can provide short-term relief from knee pain. Ice packs can relieve inflammation, although you should only apply ice or cold packs for up to 20 minutes at a time. Keep in mind that ice or cold packs should be wrapped in a washcloth or towel instead of being applied directly to your skin.
Injections
When over-the-counter medication and other treatments aren’t working, your doctor might suggest having injections done. These involve injecting medication, such as corticosteroids or platelet-rich plasma, into your knee joint. These injections might offer pain relief for a longer period of time compared to over-the-counter pain relievers. The medications used for these injections might help relieve inflammation, resulting in pain relief.
Knee Surgery
Your doctor might recommend exploring surgical treatment options when other forms of treatment have been ineffective and knee pain becomes chronic or more severe. Different types of surgery are available for knee pain, including arthroscopic surgery, partial knee replacement, total knee replacement and osteotomy. Some procedures are minimally invasive, while others involve having a more invasive procedure done. You should find out as much as possible about surgical options for knee pain and weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether or not to have knee surgery.
If you’re looking for effective knee pain treatment, please contact Huntington Orthopedics today to set up an appointment. We can help you find treatment to ease knee pain and other symptoms.