Some type of knee pain or injury requires surgery but, surgery should not never be the first option for treating your knee joint pain. Alternative treatments can definitely help in relieving knee pain. If you are suffering from knee pain then, you must talk to your doctor for some less invasive ways to address it.
You shouldn’t consult the doctor for arthritis directly when experiencing knee pain, you can book an appointment with a primary care practitioner. Your physician will not directly advise you for the knee replacement surgery but, will try several knee replacement alternatives to relieve knee joint pain. Well, you can consult to the surgeon or specialist if your primary doctor is facing difficulties in diagnosing arthritis.
Let’s see all the alternatives most physicians try to knee joint replacement surgery
Physical Exercises and Weight Loss
The first alternative that most of the physicians or doctors try is physical exercises and weight loss. Cutting down the extra kilos from your body may help you lose the pain. Doctors say that being just 10 pounds overweight can add up to 60 pounds of force on your knee with every step you take. And to reduce the burden and relieve knee pain you must exercise daily to lose your weight as well as it can help in strengthening the muscles.
Physical Therapy
Just like the exercises, physical therapies are best for relieving knee pain. The physical therapist can design a regiment that reduces the pain and also strengthens the muscles that affect your knees to work better. Therapist will work with you to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly and you will recover faster. They may apply ice and heat for faster recovery. Many other things are also used by the therapist to relieve knee pain like they can use electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy or other procedures that will increase blood flow to the skin, helping to reduce pain.
Anti-Inflammatory Medications
Your knee pains because of the inflammation in the knee as the bones rub against each other due to eroded cartilage. If the inflammation of the tissue reduces then it can provide you temporary relief from pain. For this, your doctor can prescribe you Anti-inflammatory medications, which will help in decreasing the swelling in the joint. Medications called Cox-2 inhibitors may also be used by the doctor to reduce inflammation to reduce the pain temporarily. Apart from this a corticosteroid injection may also be used to reduce pain. This is a procedure of injecting a powerful anti-inflammatory agent directly into the joint.
Glucosamine/Chondroitin
Glucosamine or Chondroitin is a dietary supplement, which improves the joint’s mobility thus, decreases arthritis knee pain. Glucosamine & Chondroitin, both are naturally occurring molecules in the body. And its sulfate can slow the deterioration of cartilage in the joint, and it reduces the pain of bone on bone. Glucosamine promotes the growth of new cartilage and repair of damaged cartilage while as Chondroitin is believed to promoter water retention and improve the elasticity of cartilage.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an old Chinese method and many therapist and physicians use it as an alternative to Knee Replacement Surgery. For this, thin and sharp needles will be used to impact nerves and change the flow of energy within the body. In recent time, Acupuncture has become more popular as an alternative treatment for knee pain. In fact, the research shows that it excellently have reduced knee pain for some people.
Arthroscopic Surgery
Though it is a surgery but, at least you won’t have to go through the knee replacement surgery. Doctors use it as an alternative to knee replacement surgery. Well, it is a minimally invasive type of knee surgery, which is performed with a camera inserted through small incisions. This surgery can help in repairing cartilage or meniscus tears inside the knee or remove bone or cartilage fragments. Arthroscopic surgery is best treatment for those who have sharp pain, catching or locking. This surgery can even eliminate the need for knee replacement surgery.
Osteotomy
It is a type of surgical procedure, where the doctor or surgeon makes a cut in your shin or thigh bone so that he can shift the load away from the arthritic area of the knee. This type of surgery is mainly recommended for younger patients. Osteotomy is an alternative to knee replacement surgery, but it might make it difficult for some patients to undergo successful knee replacement surgery at a later time, if needed.
Making the Right Decision
Now, you know all the alternatives to knee joint replacement surgery but, when it comes to choosing a treatment for knee arthritis then you should consult to a specialist or surgeon. He or she will consider all possible alternatives to knee replacement surgery considering your situation and health condition. But, making the right decision for choosing the best possible treatment option for you should be determined together by you and your doctor.