The Best Knee Joint Pain Treatment Options
Knee joint pain is an ailment that can affect people of any age group and severely hamper their ability to go about their daily routine. Knee joint pain may result from an injury, aging, an underlying disease, a torn ligament, or ruptured cartilage. Arthritis and gout are the most common diseases with which knee joint pain is associated with.
So what are some knee joint pain treatment options? In minor cases, the knee pain should get resolved by simple home treatment solutions. Lifestyle changes and wearing braces can definitely aid in this process. However, in case a patient suffers from chronic knee pain, they may require surgical repair or replacement of the knee joint.
Regenerative therapy has helped countless patients look and feel like the person they were years before. Call us today to book your regenerative therapy consultation.
Home Remedies for Knee Joint Pain Treatment
There are several simple home remedies that can be administered for knee joint pain. In most cases, patients respond well to these treatments. Over-the-counter painkillers such as Aleve (naproxen sodium) and ibuprofen have proven to be effective in relieving pain in the knee joint. Other home remedies include:
- Ointments: Some patients find relief by massaging the affected knee joint with ointments containing numbing agents such as capsaicin or lidocaine.
- Rest: To lessen repetitive strain on your knee, allow it time to heal, and help prevent future harm, take a vacation from your regular activities. You could only require a day or two of rest if the damage is minimal. Longer recuperation times are likely to be required for more serious injuries.
- Ice: Ice helps to relieve inflammation and pain. To completely enclose your knee, a bag of frozen peas works wonderfully. To protect your skin, you can use an ice pack that has been wrapped in a tiny towel. Only use ice packs for a maximum of 20 minutes at a time to avoid damaging your skin and nerves.
- Heat therapy: Applying a heat pack or hot water bottle to the troublesome spot on your knee may provide you with momentary pain relief.
- Compression therapy: This helps keep knee alignment and stability while preventing fluid buildup in injured areas. Look for a self-adhesive, lightweight, and breathable compression bandage. It should be snug enough to hold up your knee without restricting blood flow.
- Elevation: Try reclining in a recliner or elevating your wounded leg on pillows to help with edema reduction.
Treatment Options for Knee Joint Pain
If your knee joint pain doesn’t get resolved by home remedies, it may be time to take things up a notch by trying out other non-invasive treatment options such as pain medications, physical therapy, or steroid injections.
1) Medications
Depending on the cause of your pain, there are a number of treatments for knee pain that are both oral and injectable. Anti-inflammatories and painkillers usually referred to as analgesics, are the two main types of medication used by persons with knee discomfort. The majority of drugs classified as anti-inflammatory drugs also have analgesic properties.
The two most popular over-the-counter medications are acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brands) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include aspirin (such as Bayer), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve).
These are beneficial for mild sprains and even arthritis. However, when taken in the wrong amounts, these medications can have negative side effects and harm your body. Before choosing any of these painkillers, always speak with your doctor.
2) Physical Therapy
Your knee will become more stable if the muscles surrounding it are strengthened. Depending on the precise disease that is causing your discomfort, your doctor may advise physical therapy or various forms of strengthening activities.
If you play a sport or are physically active, you may need to do some exercises to establish proper technique for your sport or activity and to modify movement patterns that may be harming your knees. Exercises that increase flexibility and balance are also crucial.
Arch supports, often with wedges on one side of the heel, can aid in relieving pressure from the knee’s osteoarthritis-prone side. Various braces can be used in some circumstances to support and protect the knee joint.
3) Injections
In some circumstances, your doctor might advise injecting drugs or other substances right into a joint. Between taking oral medication and having arthritic knee joints surgically replaced, there is typically an injection procedure to relieve knee discomfort. When knee discomfort becomes severe, corticosteroids or viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid might be injected.
Some examples are the following:
- Corticosteroids: A corticosteroid medication injection into your knee joint may help lessen the signs and symptoms of an arthritis flare and offer pain relief that could last several months. Not every patient responds well to these injections.
- Hyaluronic acid: Hyaluronic acid, a viscous fluid that is similar to the fluid that lubricates joints naturally, can be injected into your knee to increase mobility and reduce pain. To finish the therapy, a series of three to five weekly injections are required. If you have early-stage arthritis and your oral medication hasn’t worked well for you, these injections can be useful. Another name for this procedure is viscosupplementation.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP): PRP has a concentrated form of a variety of growth factors that might help with healing and reduce inflammation. PRP may help some people with osteoarthritis but further research is required to prove its efficacy.
Surgical Treatment Options for Knee Joint Pain
It’s generally not required to have surgery right away if you have an injury that could necessitate it. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of both nonsurgical rehabilitation and surgical reconstruction in accordance with what is most essential to you before making a choice. If you decide to have surgery, you can have the following options:
- Total knee replacement: The thigh bone, shinbone, and kneecap are cut away by your surgeon during this treatment, and the injured bone and cartilage are replaced with an artificial joint composed of metal alloys, premium plastics, and polymers.
- Osteotomy: For the purpose of realigning the knee and relieving arthritis symptoms, bone from the thigh bone or shinbone is removed during this treatment. You might be able to put off or forgo a total knee replacement thanks to this procedure.
- Partial knee replacement surgery: During this treatment, your surgeon just replaces the most severely damaged area of your knee using metal and plastic components. Since the procedure is typically performed through a few minor incisions, your recovery time will probably be less than if your entire knee had to be replaced during surgery.
- Arthroscopic surgery: Using a fiber-optic camera and long, narrow tools placed through just a few small incisions around your knee, your doctor may be able to inspect and repair the damage to your joint, depending on the specifics of your accident. Arthroscopy can be used to mend torn ligaments, remove loose objects from your knee joint, and remove or replace damaged cartilage.
Causes and Risk Factors for Knee Joint Pain
There can be a number of different things that can lead to one developing knee joint pain. These can range from injuries, aging, mechanical problems, arthritis, or something else altogether. Here are some common causes of knee joint pain and risk factors that can make one more vulnerable to knee pain:
- Injuries: A knee injury can impact not just the bones, cartilage, and ligaments that make up the joint itself, but also any ligaments, tendons, or fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that surround your knee joint. ACL ligament tears, fractures, meniscus tears, knee bursitis, and patellar tendinitis are a few examples of ailments.
- Mechanical Problems: Your musculoskeletal system may potentially be experiencing mechanical issues that are resulting in knee joint pain. A displaced kneecap, iliotibial band syndrome, deteriorated bones, or excessive stress on your knee are a few examples.
- Arthritis: Arthritis is perhaps the most common cause of knee joint pain. There are well over 100 types of arthritis but the ones that commonly target the knee joint are osteoarthritis, septic arthritis, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome: This is a broad term for pain that develops between the kneecap and the thigh bone underneath. It often affects athletes, young individuals whose kneecaps don’t track properly in their groove, and elderly people with arthritis.
- Excess weight: Even during routine activities like walking or climbing stairs, being overweight or obese puts more strain on your knee joints. By hastening the degeneration of joint cartilage, it also increases your risk of osteoarthritis.
- Lack of muscle flexibility or strength: Injury risk to the knees might be increased by a lack of strength and flexibility. Your joints are stabilized and protected by strong muscles, yet a full range of motion is possible thanks to flexible muscles.
- Certain sports or occupations: Your knees are more likely to be strained during some sports than others. Your risk of knee injuries is increased by activities like alpine skiing, which involves inflexible ski boots and the potential for falls, basketball, which involves hops and pivots, and running or jogging, which repeatedly pounds your knees. Construction and farming work, as well as other occupations that put repetitive strain on the knees, can raise your risk.
Acupuncture Treatment for Knee Joint Pain
Electro-acupuncture works particularly well for patients with knee arthritis. In cases of mild or severe knee arthritis, a small number of sessions yield excellent results. Ongoing acupuncture is required when arthritis is more advanced or “bone-on-bone.” Along with more traditional therapies including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and injections, acupuncture can also be used in combination.
Additionally, acupuncture can offer temporary pain relief prior to knee replacement surgery. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, acupuncture therapy has shown considerable potential in treating knee osteoarthritis pain. Endogenous opioid endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, are released during acupuncture.
Preventive Measures for Knee Joint Pain
- Be smart about exercise: If you have osteoarthritis, persistent knee discomfort, or a history of injuries, you might need to adjust how you work out. At least a few days a week, think about switching to swimming, water aerobics, or other low-impact exercises. Sometimes relief might be obtained by merely reducing high-impact activities.
- Practice regularly and perfectly: Make sure you’re using the best possible technique and movement patterns for your sport or activity. Professional advice can be very beneficial.
- Ensure you stay fit for your sport: Spend time conditioning to get your muscles ready for the demands of participating in sports.
- Get strong, stay flexible: Knee injuries are frequently caused by weak muscles. Building up your quadriceps and hamstrings, the muscles on the front and rear of your thighs that support your knees will be beneficial to you. Exercises for balance and stability make the muscles around your knees more cooperative. Stretching is crucial since tight muscles can sometimes contribute to damage. When working out, try to incorporate flexibility exercises.
- Maintain a healthy body weight: The best thing you can do for your knees is to keep your weight in a healthy range. Every additional pound puts pressure on your joints, increasing the likelihood of injury and osteoarthritis.
When to Consult With Your Doctor
Knee joint pain doesn’t usually indicate something serious. In most cases, the pain should subside in a week or so. However, if you’re experiencing excruciating pain in your knee after taking a nasty fall or being involved in an accident it’s highly recommended that you consult a doctor.
If you feel like your knees are unable to bear your body’s weight, then it’s a sign of a fracture or underlying disease such as osteoarthritis that requires urgent medical attention. Always call your doctor immediately if the knee joint pain is accompanied by swelling.
High-Quality Knee Joint Pain Treatment Solutions at aNu Aesthetics
Many things can cause knee discomfort, but overuse, accidents, or arthritis are the most frequent causes. Depending on what’s causing your discomfort, rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, and ice may help you feel better. A procedure or surgery can be necessary if your injury is more serious. You might want to think about coming to see us at aNu Aesthetics so that functional medicine specialists can identify the root cause of your knee joint pain.
Our range of spa and medical wellness facilities are sure to help you back on your feet. By choosing us, you get to choose a treatment solution that is personalized for you and helps you achieve optimal physical health. We’re dedicated in our efforts to ensure that we not only treat the pain but also find ways to improve your lifestyle habits. Book an appointment with our doctors today.
Regenerative therapy has helped countless patients look and feel like the person they were years before. Call us today to book your regenerative therapy consultation.