Knee Pain Treatment – Effective Treatment Options
People across the United States suffer through knee pain on a daily basis. Knee pain caused by injury or arthritis can significantly reduce your mobility, psychological health, and quality of life. Fortunately, knee pain treatment options abound. Many knee pain treatment plans begin with medication. Other options include electrical nerve stimulation and surgery. Be sure to speak with your doctor before starting any knee pain treatment, as he or she can let you know which options are best for your situation. Keep in mind, the type of injury or arthritis you have, your medical history, and other medications you are taking will influence your course of action.
Traditional medication is usually the first step in any knee pain treatment plan. Doctors usually prescribe NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or analgesics to relieve pain and aid knee pain treatment. NSAIDs are a group of drugs that not only reduce pain, but also reduce inflammation when taken in sufficiently high doses. Drugs that belong to this group include Aleve and Ibuprofen, as well as Aspirin. Analgesics are used solely for pain relief, and should not be considered for long-term knee pain treatment. Some analgesics, such as Morphine and Vicodin, are considered narcotics and are therefore addictive. Weigh the benefits carefully before including them in your knee pain treatment plan.
Electrical nerve stimulation involves running a mild electrical current through the muscles that surround your knee. This strengthens the muscles that support your joints and also relieves knee pain. A TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit is another, more portable knee pain treatment option to consider. A TENS unit requires a prescription and medical supervision, but provides effective pain relief that lasts for hours. Many patients are able to use TENS units to replace or reduce their medication. If you like, you can rent a TENS unit before deciding to incorporate one in your knee pain treatment.
If your knee pain treatment method fails to get results, you might want to think about surgery. There are many surgical procedures designed to relieve and treat joint pain. The most common procedure treats a specific joint by removing it and replacing it with a prosthesis. This should be a last resort knee pain treatment option; if you have other options available, try something else first. You should only consider this type of surgery when there is only one joint affected. In addition to the conventional methods listed above, there are also many natural treatments such as dietary supplements, acupuncture, massage, and biofeedback.
