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Of all the joints in your body, the knee joint is the most commonly cited area of discomfort by adults who say they are bothered by joint pain. Millions of Americans deal with knee pain on a daily or frequent basis, and a fair amount of them aren’t doing anything to proactively address the issue. If you’re not trying to treat your knee pain, there’s a very good chance it is only going to get worse. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at some of the most effective non-surgical treatment options for knee pain.

Treating Knee Pain Without Surgery

Knee pain can be caused by a number of different issues, so there’s no guarantee that any one treatment on this list will resolve your discomfort. That said, the vast majority of people with knee discomfort who pursue one or more of these techniques will see an improvement or alleviation of their symptoms. Here’s some of the more common non-operative treatments for knee pain:

  • Physical Therapy – Arguably the most commonly recommended and most effective non-operative treatment for a number of different knee issues is physical therapy. We work with patients dealing with all sorts of different knee problems, and we’re confident that we can find a therapy plan that works for them. Physical therapy works to strengthen the knee joint and the surrounding soft tissues, slowly expand your comfortable range of motion and improve your overall knee function. Most knee specialists will not recommend moving forward with a procedure unless you’ve pursued weeks of physical therapy exercises to no avail. Working with a professional physical therapist is one of the best ways to get exercises tailored to your individual needs.
  • Bracing – Another common non-operative treatment is a knee brace. Although it is passive in nature, a brace can help to provide additional support to the joint, which is helpful if you’ll be putting significant stress on the area. Professional and weekend warrior athletes oftentimes use knee braces to support their knees during athletic activities, especially if they have an underlying instability issue. You will want to pair a passive treatment technique like bracing with an active intervention like strength training or physical therapy.
  • Low-Impact Exercise – Some people shy away from exercise and activity as a result of their knee discomfort, but that’s usually not the best decision. Being overly protective of the joint ensures that the supportive structures around the knee remain weak, which isn’t where you want to be. We understand being hesitant to pursue some types of exercise, but low-impact exercises should be great for your knee and your whole body. Pursue low or no impact exercises like walking, cycling or swimming to help strengthen the knee without putting an abundance of stress on the area.
  • Weight Loss – The weight of your body is channeled through your knees when you stand, walk and move, so it stands to reason that the more you weigh, the more stress your knees have to handle. Similarly, if you can lose just a little weight, you can take a lot of pressure off your knees. Pairing exercise or PT with dietary improvements can help you shed some weight, which can certainly help to alleviate some of the more mild knee symptoms.
  • Injections/Pain Medications – A final common non-operative treatment that we’ll touch on is corticosteroid injections or pain medications. These medications help to calm inflammation in your joints that may be contributing to discomfort, and they can help to drown out pain signals to the brain. They are great for short-term pain relief, but they aren’t going to do anything to solve your problem in the long-term, so like bracing, you’ll want to pair medications with active interventions for best results.

Don’t put off knee pain treatment any longer, because if you keep pushing through the discomfort like nothing is wrong, your symptoms are only going to get worse. Instead, start treating the problem while the issue is more likely to respond to care. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to treating your knee pain, let a professional help. The team at OrthoRehab Specialists would be more than happy to help identify the true source of your knee pain and develop a personalized care plan based on your needs. For more information, or to set up your first physical therapy session, give our team a call today at (612) 339-2041.

Dr. Andy Masis, PT
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