How to Treat Knee Arthritis Without Surgery

How to Treat Knee Arthritis Without Surgery

How to treat knee arthritis without surgery is a common question I get asked https://louisvillebones.com. There are many different ways to treat knee osteoarthritis without surgery. Knee arthritis is a common condition.

Osteoarthritis is part of the natural aging process. It is also caused by genetics, obesity and trauma to the knee. Knee replacement surgery is a great option for many patients. However, up to 23% of patients that have undergone knee replacement surgery have no pain relief.

Therefore, treatment that does not involve knee replacement is available. Non surgical treatment for knee osteoarthritis is covered by most insurance companies. First of all , treatment starts by first diagnosing the condition. We make the diagnosis with a standard knee x-ray.

Arthritis is the loss of cartilage in the knee joint. The cartilage acts as a cushion. As a result , arthritic  symptoms are pain, loss of range of motion, morning stiffness, night pain, knee swelling and muscle loss.

Multiple Options for Treatment of Knee Arthritis Without Surgery

Non-surgical treatment of knee arthritis involves several steps. Typically, the first step is to started by using an anti-inflammatory medication. NSAIDS are used in people that do not have kidney issues or a history of stomach problems.

The second step, is using a  supplements.  Supplements are  purchased over the counter. I recommend tumeric or glucosamine .

 

Injection Options for Treatment of Knee Arthritis

The third  step involves injection therapy. The first injection I recommend is  a simple cortisone injection . A cortisone injection will typically give someone 3 months of pain relief.  In addition to  reducing arthritic symptoms . The next type of injection to use  is hyaluronic acid .

Hyaluronic acid injections will typically last up to 6 months. One of the brands on the market that I use in my practice is  : Gel one.  .  https://www.zimmerbiomet.com/medical-professionals/biologics/product/gel-one.html

Synvisc https://www.synviscone.com is another hyaluronic injection option.

PRP which is a orthobiologic treatment. For instance, this is where the body is treating itself. We obtain PRP by drawing blood from the patients arm in the office . Then we  place the blood in a centrafuge in the office . That step, separates the platelets  make up part of the blood products.  I then inject into the arthritic knee joint. PRP which stands for platelet rich plasma, has lots of anti-inflammatory factors. As a result, the PRP injection can give  patient’s up to one year or more of symptomatic relief.

Brace Options for Treatment of Knee Arthritis

Another way to treat knee osteoarthritis is through the use of braces. There is a specialized custom brace that will unweight the arthritic side of a knee joint. Most people that have knee arthritis have it only on one side of the joint. An unloader knee  brace will force you to put more weight on the normal side of the knee joint. It will place less force on the arthritic side of the knee joint https://www.breg.com/osteoarthritis/

Physical Therapy Helps the Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis

Physical therapy helps to strengthen the knee joint. Therefore, the PT helps to improve range of motion and strength. Hence, reducing symptoms of knee arthritis  https://prorehablou.com.