What is the Best Knee Pain Treatment for you?
A Guide from Expert KNEE PAIN Doctors
Knee pain treatment has evolved rapidly. We break down the pros and cons of the best treatments for each type of knee pain problem and explain how to find a top pain treatment center for your pain treatment.
Exploring Options For Knee Pain Treatment
Our Knee Pain Specialists Explain Non-Surgical, Convenient Options
In this article our knee pain experts discuss the advantages and disadvantages of available pain treatments for knee pain to help you decide which treatment may be best for you if you.
Are you considering getting treatment for your painful knee? With so many treatment options available for knee pain, it can be overwhelming and difficult to choose which therapy option may be best for you. We hope that this article sheds some light on the many treatment options available and provide helpful information when choosing the treatment options that may be best for you.
Before we address treatment options, however, it is important to understand a few basics about knee pain: the most common form of knee pain is due to an underlying condition called “osteoarthritis” (OA), also known as “degenerative joint disease.” In a normal, healthy knee joint, there is a smooth, outer surface lining covering the surface of the bones in the knee joint (called the cartilage and synovial membrane) that protects, lubricates, and cushions the bones of the knee joint to allow smooth joint movements as you bend and straighten your knee. In knee osteoarthritis, the cartilage gradually wears away, and the protective space between the bones of the joint decreases resulting in friction, stiffness, pain and inflammation. Eventually this can result in bone-on-bone rubbing and the development of painful bone spurs. Osteoarthritis develops gradually over time and pain and stiffness worsens as the condition develops. Although there is no cure for OA, there are many treatment options for relieving the pain and inflammation so that you can return to living an active, pain-free life.
Although osteoarthritis is the most common condition causing knee pain, there many other causes of joint pain, such as ligament injuries, tears of the meniscus (the shock absorbers of the knee), infection, nerve conditions, and immune disorders.
Some painful knee conditions require more immediate treatment for full recovery, and is therefore important to have your knees evaluated promptly by a medical doctor at a pain treatment center. A good pain doctor will always conduct a thorough physical examination, review your medical history & symptoms, and in some cases order x-rays, diagnostic tests, or blood tests to ensure a proper diagnosis to provide you with the best knee pain treatment outcomes possible.
When more conservative treatments such as over the counter pain relievers, lifestyle modifications (weight loss, switching from high impact activities to low impact activities, wearing supportive shoes, minimizing activities aggravating your pain) no longer provide adequate relief, there are many advanced, effective, minimally invasive therapies that can provide more effective pain relief and improved mobility. Let’s explore some of the best treatment options below and which may be best for you.
Types of Knee Pain Treatments
Hyaluronic Acid Injections
Also known as: Gel injections, viscosupplementation, HA injections
Best For: Knee pain and stiffness due to osteoarthritis
Treatment Summary
What Are Hyaluronic Acid Injections?
Hyaluronic acid is a gel-like substance naturally found in the fluid that lubricates and cushions the knee joints. It is also sometimes referred to as viscosupplementation or “gel injections.” In painful knee conditions such as osteoarthritis, the lubricating ability of the natural fluid in the knee diminishes and the cartilage is no longer able to cushion the knee as it once did. This results in pain, stiffness, and swelling. Hyaluronic acid helps to lubricate the knee joint, decrease knee pain, and improve knee mobility.
How are Hyaluronic Acid Injections performed?
Hyaluronic acid is a safe and shown to be clinically effective in numerous clinical studies for patients with pain due to OA. Your pain doctor will identify the knee joint using X-ray or ultrasound guidance. Your pain doctor will then numb the skin for comfort using a small needle and numbing medication (local anesthetic). Once the knee is numb, your pain doctor will inject the hyaluronic acid into the knee joint. The procedure is performed in a pain clinic and typically takes 5-10 minutes.
There is no downtime and you can immediately return to your day-to-day activities. Hyaluronic acid injections consist of anywhere from a 1-5 injection regimen given at weekly intervals that provides long-lasting pain relief.
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Patients respond well to:
Hyaluronic acid therapy is a safe, effective, minimally invasive treatment option for knee pain
Repeat treatments, if needed, have been proven safe.
Pain relief in some instances may last longer than cortisone injections.
Hyaluronic acid is an FDA approved treatment option for knee osteoarthritis and is a recommended treatment for knee pain due to OA by numerous highly regarded national and international medical associations
What To Stay Aware Before Booking A Pain Treatment
In some cases pain relief onset may take longer than other treatments listed, or may require 2-3 treatments before beginning to experience pain relief
Some hyaluronic acid treatments are contraindicated for patients with severe bird (avian) allergies, including patients with allergies to avian proteins, feathers, or egg products.
Treatment may not be fully covered by insurance in some instances
If you have an allergy to bird products there are safe hyaluronic acid formula options available for you. Your pain doctor can help decide which formula and how many injections would provide you the best amount of pain relief
Effectiveness
Ease of Insurance Coverage
Overall Safety
Recovery Time
Am I a Candidate for this Knee Pain Treatment?
Steroid Injections
Also known as: Cortisone injections
Best For: Knee pain due to osteoarthritis, pain due to inflammation, painful knee symptoms requiring fast pain relief.
Treatment Summary
What are Steroid Injections?
Steroid injections are one of the most common treatment therapies that can be used when treating knee pain. Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications that help reduce pain and swelling due to inflammation. The goal of a steroid injection is to reduce pain, swelling, maintain joint range of motion, and improve mobility.
How is a Steroid Injections Performed?
TA steroid injection is a safe and effective procedure for reducing knee pain. Your pain doctor will identify the knee joint using X-ray or ultrasound guidance. Your pain doctor will then numb the skin for comfort using a small needle and numbing medication (local anesthetic).
Once the knee is numb, your pain doctor will inject the area of the knee that is causing pain and inflammation. The steroid then takes effect, resulting in pain relief and reduction of inflammation. The procedure typically takes 5-10 minutes and requires no down-time.
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Patients respond well to:
Steroid injections are minimally invasive and effective at reducing pain and inflammation
Steroid injections provide immediate relief in many cases, often covered by insurance
What To Stay Aware Before Booking A Pain Treatment
In some cases steroid injections may not provide lasting results, patients may have to have the procedure repeated every 3-6 months.
If you have been diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes, immune deficient conditions, or severe osteoporosis, it is important to discuss with your doctor if steroid injections are safe for you.
Effectiveness
Ease of Insurance Coverage
Overall Safety
Recovery Time
Am I a Candidate for this Knee Pain Treatment?
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP)
Treatment Summary
What are PRP Injections??
PRP injections, which stand for platelet rich plasma injections, lead the list of cutting-edge ways to treat knee pain as well as other painful musculoskeletal conditions. There have been many clinical trials that show significantly improved pain and function after PRP treatment. Where can you find PRP injections for knees, hips, or shoulders, and who can you trust with this very specialized, non-surgical knee pain treatment? Look no further than Pain Treatment Specialists of NYC and NJ, where the team of Harvard trained pain doctors utilize interventional knee pain treatments, such as Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP.
PRP uses your own blood, so several studies have demonstrated safety of this natural treatment.
How is PRP Therapy Performed?
1. Platelets are components of your blood that contribute to blood clotting and healing processes. They also contain growth factors, other types of protein that play an important role in healing and tissue regeneration.
2. PRP therapy uses your own blood, which is drawn in the office. The blood is spun in a centrifuge, which separates the red blood cells from the liquid part of your blood: plasma.
3. After your blood is spun in a centrifuge, the remaining plasma has a higher concentration of platelets than before. The “platelet rich plasma” is injected into an injury site, for example the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, foot or even spine.
The growth factors in the platelets contribute to your body’s own ability to heal and reduce inflammation. The effect is localized to the area where the plasma is injected. People may experience some swelling or even increased pain shortly after a PRP injection.
It can take time for the healing effects to show, but this is a normal outcome of PRP. Think of how a healing cut sometimes feels: it may swell and grow warm for a day or two before the swelling subsides and healing begins.
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Patients respond well to:
Quick Recovery Time: Patients who are able to benefit from PRP treatments are back on their feet quickly, with minimal recovery time and increased mobility and flexibility.
RP Injections Are All-Natural: If patients do not respond well to corticosteroid treatments, a PRP injection is an excellent alternative. Since PRP uses a patient’s own blood, the injections are all-natural and carry a minimal infection risk.
Platelet Rich Plasma PRP Promotes Healing: A variety of clinical trials show that PRP is an excellent tool to promote healing. Your knee pain doctor can show you how platelet rich plasma injections have significantly improved patients’ lives.
What To Stay Aware Before Booking A Pain Treatment
An injection into the knee joint can entail some very rare risks, including: local infection and pain at the site of injection, nerve damage, or pain and stiffness.
Effectiveness
Ease of Insurance Coverage
Overall Safety
Recovery Time
Am I a Candidate for this Knee Pain Treatment?
Genicular Nerve RFA
Treatment Summary
What is Genicular Nerve RFA?
Chrоnіс knее pain treatment requires medical expertise to ensure sucess. Phаrmасоlоgу hаѕ failed to provide рrореr relief оn knее pain treatment. Cоrtісоѕtеrоіd injections provide temporary rеlіеf and hyaluronate іnjесtіоnѕ are quite еxреnѕіvе. On the other hand, nеwеr “rеgеnеrаtіvе” іnjесtіоn treatments such аѕ platelet-rich рlаѕmа аnd stem cells аrе ѕtіll соnѕіdеrеd еxреrіmеntаl. Alѕо, ѕurgісаl interventions fоr jоіnt preservation аrе limited, and total jоіnt rерlасеmеnt іѕ nоt recommended to young and оbеѕе patients. Evеn after arthroplasty, ѕоmе patients still еxреrіеnсе іnсеѕѕаnt раіn.
Rаdіоfrеquеnсу ablation for gеnісulаr nerves (GNRFA) іѕ a rеlаtіvеlу new аnd mоdеrn trеаtmеnt орtіоn that hаѕ рrоvеn еffесtіvе fоr сhrоnіс knее раіn раtіеntѕ whо hаvе failed ѕurgісаl treatments. The рrосеѕѕ bеgіnѕ with a diagnostic gеnісulаr nerve blосk. Recently, Gеnісulаr nerve radiofrequency ablation (RFA) hаѕ been nоtеd to bе оnе оf thе best treatment options fоr knее раіn. But thе lоng-tеrm еffісасу of this trеаtmеnt іѕ ѕtіll lаrgеlу unknоwn.
How does Genicular Nerve RFA Work?
It іѕ made uр of a gаthеrіng оf a sophisticated type оf radio wave аnd applies іt tо thе nеrvеѕ surrounding the knее or thе gеnісulаr nerves.
This рrосеdurе іѕ always реrfоrmеd аt thе theatre. During thе рrосеѕѕ, уоu will be оffеrеd a mеdісаtіоn whісh іѕ not generally аnаеѕthеtіс thаt wіll mаkе уоu drоwѕу. Muсh more, three ѕресіаl needles аrе nоrmаllу uѕеd. Twо nееdlеѕ аrе рlасеd аbоvе аnd оnе іѕ placed bеlоw the knee.
Thе рlасеmеnt оf thеѕе needles іѕ guided bу X-rау. Aftеrwаrd, a Test wіll occur tо confirm whеthеr the needles аrе properly сlоѕе to thе nеrvе аnd then thе area using lосаl anaesthetic іѕ numbеd. The nееdlеѕ аrе thеn uѕеd to heat uр thе nеrvе whісh рrеvеntѕ іt frоm раѕѕіng thе раіn signal.
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Patients respond well to:
It іѕ a nonsurgical trеаtmеnt which always serves аѕ thе bеѕt орtіоn when оthеr conventional thеrаріеѕ have failed tо relief раіn.
It hаѕ low rіѕk оf іnfесtіоn.
It іѕ аlwауѕ соvеrеd bу іnѕurаnсе.
It dоеѕ not require blood thіnnеrѕ.
It іѕ lеѕѕ expensive.
It rеlіеvеѕ раіn fаѕt.
It can bе рrоduсе wіth оnlу lосаl аnеѕthеtіс.
What To Stay Aware Before Booking A Pain Treatment
Sеvеrе аllеrgіс rеасtіоnѕ tо lосаl anaesthetics are nоt соmmоn.
Rаdіоfrеquеnсу trеаtmеnt can саuѕе раtсhу numbnеѕѕ оf thе ѕkіn.
Pоѕt-рrосеdurаl раіn flаrе-uр іѕ соmmоn, and реrhарѕ, one mау be trеаtеd with раіnkіllеr ѕubѕtаnсеѕ.
Inсіdеnсе of infection іѕ low аѕ thе рrосеdurе іѕ реrfоrmеd undеr ѕtrісt aseptic conditions.
Effectiveness
Ease of Insurance Coverage
Overall Safety
Recovery Time
Am I a Candidate for this Knee Pain Treatment?
Physical Therapy
Treatment Summary
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy, also knоwn аs PT, is a common modality used to treat back pain caused by a range of conditions, including arthritis, disc disease, and muscle tension. Your physician may consider physical therapy to help you recover from an injury, improve mobility, or to prevent future injuries. Physical therapists use a range of techniques, including exercises, massage therapy, heat, cold, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to treat painful conditions. The goal of physical therapy is to increase strength, flexibility, balance and improve overall quality of life.
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Patients respond well to:
Physical therapy can be performed safely in most patients with low back or leg pain.
Physical therapy can be used in conjunction with other modalities (lіkе injections or medications).
Physical therapy increases strength and mobility, and often provides long-lasting results.
The focus of your physical therapy program can change over time if your pain changes.
Physical therapy is safe, non-invasive, and works to improve your body’s natural mechanics.
Physical therapy can reduce your need for oral pain medications, which often have side effects.
Once you learn physical therapy exercises, you can safely perform them at home.
What To Stay Aware Before Booking A Pain Treatment
It may take some time to see benefits from physical therapy, as it takes time to develop improved strength, flexibility and balance.
Effectiveness
Ease of Insurance Coverage
Overall Safety
Recovery Time
Knee Surgery
Treatment Summary
What Is Knee Surgery? (As a last resort)
Knee surgery is a last resort procedure for patients with severe and irreversible knee pain. Your pain doctor may recommend knee surgery if all other conservative and minimally invasive knee pain treatment options fail to yield the desired results. The primary goal of knee surgery is to address the anatomical problems responsible for knee pain, such as severe fractures and dislocation.
Knee surgery carries a greater risk of bleeding, infections, and other complications, so it should only be tried after all other minimally invasive procedures, such as epidural injections have been tried. The best knee pain doctors try a series of injections and other minimally invasive techniques before recommending knee surgery. If you require knee surgery, our pain management doctors can refer you to a reliable spine surgeon.
How does Knee Surgery Work?
Knee surgery isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure. The knee is a complex mechanism consisting of numerous parts and components, so the knee surgery must be personalized according to your needs. The pain doctor will discuss your symptoms and administer numerous imaging tests, such as x-rays, EMGs, and MRIs, to identify the root cause of knee pain and curate an appropriate surgical plan. Knee surgery is usually performed within a hospital under deep anesthesia.
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Patients respond well to:
Knee surgery corrects the anatomical issues responsible for knee pain.
Knee surgery offers long-lasting relief from knee pain.
Knee surgery can be used with knee epidural injections and facet injections.
What To Stay Aware Before Booking A Pain Treatment
Knee surgery is an invasive procedure that may involve an extended recovery period.
Knee surgery includes a higher risk of bleeding, infections, and other complications than minimally invasive pain treatments.
Knee surgery is performed under general anesthesia, which further increases the risk of complications.
Knee surgery must be performed by a highly skilled and specialized spine surgeon.
Knee surgery should only be tried as a last resort approach.
Effectiveness
Ease of Insurance Coverage
Overall Safety
Recovery Time
Am I a Candidate for this Knee Pain Treatment?
Choose a Board Certified Pain Physician
When looking for a pain physician, it is important to select a physician who is qualified and has the appropriate background training. At VIP Medical, all of our pain physicians are Board Certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology, meaning that they adhere to the highest medical standards. Board Certification requires extensive specialty-specific training and ongoing education to stay up to date on the most recent advances in pain medicine. All of our Pain Medicine physicians did an advanced fellowship specializing in Pain Medicine at Harvard, to learn the safest, most effective, and most sophisticated techniques to target pain. Our Pain Medicine physicians are spine specialists and see hundreds of patients with neck pain. We take the time to evaluate each patient as an individual, and can help select which treatment modality is most appropriate for your specific pain needs.
What could be the best location option for me?
If you need neck pain treatment, or if you are experiencing any neck pain symptoms, we are here to help. Our gold-standard pain centers, staffed by Ivy-league trained pain specialists, are located in New York. Our pain doctors will help you choose the best pain treatment for your unique individual needs.