If you suffer from chronic or acute knee pain, you may take some comfort from knowing that your condition is the most common musculoskeletal health issue. It is not surprising that your knees deteriorate after years of bending, twisting and withstanding impacts that involve your body weight, but the pain that often develops in this complex joint can be effectively treated.
Causes of knee pain
The kind of pain relief you need often depends on the cause of your pain. Your knee is an intricate intersection of tendons, ligaments and bones that can be injured in a wide variety of ways. Some of the most common injuries and ailments that can produce knee pain include kneecap dislocation, bursitis, meniscal tear or osteoarthritis.
First Steps
Although the exact cause and most appropriate pain relief treatment should be determined by your doctor, there are some things you can do to minimize pain symptoms, expedite healing and prevent further injury. After the first signs of knee pain, you may want to resort to bed rest to relieve any strain on your joints. While this may be appropriate for short periods of time, it is in your best interest to strengthen the muscles around your knees through moderate, regular exercise.
“RICE”
If you are forced to rest your knees, remember the term “RICE” which is a mnemonic for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Avoid any unnecessary strain on your knees and use a cold pack to minimize swelling. Wearing a compression bandage and elevating your knee above the level of your reclined body will also help reduce swelling and improve healing.
Examine your Environment
You should also examine your environment to see if there are ways to eliminate undue stress on your knees. If you have weakened joints, you want to remove any obstacles in your home that might cause a fall. Be sure all of your home is well lit and place stepladders near shelves for easy access. Also, examine your footwear to make sure that is offering optimal support and comfort.
Physical Therapy
If your knee pain continues for six or more weeks, you should discuss more aggressive treatment options with your doctor. Your physician may recommend some treatments like physical therapy or acupuncture initially. A course of physical therapy for knee pain could include light exercises with various fitness machinery, massage or electrical nerve stimulation.
OTC Medications
For patients experiencing ongoing or severe knee pain, medication may be an option. Your physician should recommend a regimen of over-the-counter drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen first but may prescribe more potent pain killers like oxycodone or morphine for short periods if your knee pain is particularly intense.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Depending upon the type of knee condition, your physician may recommend certain type of injections typically performed by a pain specialist. In addition to common minimally invasive procedures, like joint or nerve blocks to treat knee pain, stem cell therapy is now an option as well. Stem cell, or regenerative therapy, is a revolutionary treatment that can regenerate depleted or injured tissue. Regenerative therapies are the only treatment of its kind available today. If the previous aforementioned options are ineffective, the very last option may be surgery. Surgical procedures range from minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery up to a full knee replacement.
If you or someone you know is suffering from knee pain, contact a Colorado Pain Care Clinic near you for pain relief.
Article written by Dr Robert Moghim – CEO/Founder Colorado Pain Care
M.D. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the personal views of Robert Moghim, M.D. and do not necessarily represent and are not intended to represent the views of the company or its employees. The information contained in this article does not constitute medical advice, nor does reading or accessing this information create a patient-provider relationship. Comments that you post will be shared with all visitors to this page. The comment feature is not governed by HIPAA and you should not post any of your private health information.
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