Pain Management for Knee Pain

Knee pain can be debilitating and impair your ability to have a quality daily life. There are many causes of knee pain, and you might feel frustrated trying to navigate different knee pain management options. Some people experience chronic knee pain from sports injuries, arthritis, or old age. No matter what the cause of your knee pain is, there are options for relief.  Here are some options when it comes to pain management for knee pain.

Medications

Your doctor might prescribe medication to treat your knee pain. There are various types of medications that help relieve knee pain issues. Anti-inflammatory medications can help with symptoms of osteoarthritis, an inflammatory joint condition that causes chronic knee pain. If you suffer from a condition like gout, your doctor may prescribe a specific type of medication to treat this underlying condition. 

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can help strengthen the muscles around your knee to provide more support and relieve pain. Exercises like knee stretches and mobility practice can help restore your knee function. Physical therapy for knee pain is often recommended after knee replacement surgery to prevent your knees from getting stiff and losing mobility. 

Injections

Your doctor may recommend injections to treat your knee pain. Corticosteroids are a common type of injection for pain relief. They are most effective for treating arthritis-related knee pain. During an arthritis flare-up, the corticosteroids can put your body’s healing mechanisms into overdrive to reduce your pain. 

Other types of injections, like platelet-rich plasma and hyaluronic acid, are available as well to help manage pain. These injections have shown some potential to treat knee pain, but they are still considered experimental.   

Stem Cell Therapy

Another option being explored more these days for knee pain is regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy. This alternative option therapy has the ability to regrow important tissues and cartilage within the body. It has shown promising results in treating osteoarthritis, a common cause of knee pain. 

Knee pain often stems from injuries or wear and tear on your knee joints and the surrounding tissues. Stem cell therapy can potentially replace some of the damaged tissues around your knee to relieve your knee pain. Since stem cells start as a blank slate, they can be grown into almost any type of cell that your body needs. 

Stem cell therapy has shown few negative side effects for patients who have received treatment. If you suffer from knee pain and do not see results from other forms of treatment, stem cell therapy might be a good option to explore to help manage your knee pain for relief. If you would like to learn more, contact us today and speak with a care coordinator.