Treatment FAQ

what is best treatment for bad knees

by Leda Skiles MD Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Over-the-counter medications — such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) — may help ease knee pain. Some people find relief by rubbing the affected knee with creams containing a numbing agent, such as lidocaine, or capsaicin, the substance that makes chili peppers hot.May 11, 2021

What is the best thing for bad knees?

These best foods include:

  • Eggs
  • Fresh vegetables
  • Fresh fruits
  • Walnuts
  • Oily fish, such as Salmon, Tuna, Halibut
  • Walnuts
  • Fish oil
  • Spices
  • Herbs
  • Green tea

What to do when you have bad knees?

  • Keep extra pounds off. Maintain a healthy weight; it's one of the best things you can do for your knees. ...
  • Be in shape to play your sport. To prepare your muscles for the demands of sports participation, take time for conditioning.
  • Practice perfectly. ...
  • Get strong, stay flexible. ...
  • Be smart about exercise. ...

What is the best natural remedy for knee pain?

Supplements

  • Turmeric. Turmeric is a spice that has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine. ...
  • Ginger. Ginger has been shown to treat osteoarthritis and could potentially be a substitute for NSAIDs.
  • Vitamin E. ...
  • Glucoasmine/Chondroitin. ...
  • Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) Some research has shown that this common pain reliever may be helpful for knee pain. ...

How to exercise with bad knees to lose weight?

How to Exercise With Bad Knees to Lose Weight

  • Pain. A key to successful weight loss is avoiding injury. ...
  • Cardiovascular Exercises. Aerobic or cardiovascular exercises can burn 200 to 1,000 calories per hour depending on intensity. ...
  • Resistance Training. ...
  • Exercises to Avoid. ...

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What are the latest treatments for bad knees?

What's New in Knee Osteoarthritis Treatments?Hyaluronic Acid or Hyaluronate Injections.Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections.Mesenchymal Stem Cells, or MSCs.Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate.Autologous Cultured Chondrocytes.Botox Injections.Water-Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation.The Bottom Line.

What is the fastest way to relieve knee pain?

Do use "RICE." Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) is good for knee pain caused by a minor injury or an arthritis flare. Give your knee some rest, apply ice to reduce swelling, wear a compressive bandage, and keep your knee elevated.

Can bad knees be cured?

There is no cure for arthritis of the knee. It's a lifelong condition. But the good news is treatment can relieve some of the symptoms. Treatment might even slow down or stop the disease from getting worse.

Can you fix knees without surgery?

If your knee is badly damaged, you may need surgery to repair torn ligaments or tendons, or to reposition a shifted kneecap. However, for many instances of knee pain, one or more of these more conservative treatments will set you on the road to recovery without the need for surgical intervention.

How can I naturally lubricate my knees?

Get them from salmon, trout, olive oil, nuts, avocados and supplements high in the DHA form of omega-3s. Take these joint preservers. Supplements with a combo of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin may help on two fronts: They increase lubrication and decrease inflammation (and thus pain).

Is walking good for knee pain?

Walking is a fantastic option for many patients with knee arthritis because it is a low-impact activity that does not put undue stress on the joints. Furthermore, walking can increase the knee's range of motion and keep it from becoming overly stiff.

At what age is knee replacement not recommended?

Doctors do sometimes recommend that people under age 60 wait to undergo a knee replacement procedure, because these artificial joints typically last only about 15 to 20 years. If someone younger gets the procedure, it's likely that the joint will need to be replaced again down the line.

Is there an alternative to having a knee replacement?

Physical therapy — Knee arthritis typically makes the knee joint painful and stiff. Consulting with a physical therapist can increase the strength of the muscles supporting the knee and reduce pain. Therapists can use ice and heat, electrical nerve stimulation and other therapies to increase blood flow to the knee.

When do you need knee replacement?

The most common reason for knee replacement surgery is to relieve severe pain caused by osteoarthritis. People who need knee replacement surgery usually have problems walking, climbing stairs, and getting in and out of chairs. Some also have knee pain at rest.

How long do knee gel injections last?

How long the effects last varies. Some patients report pain relieving effects for several months following the injections. If the injections are effective they may be repeated after a period of time, usually 6 months.

What is the best knee injection?

Cortisone and hyaluronic injections are commonly used for fast, temporary relief from knee osteoarthritis pain. Cortisone injections may begin working within 24 hours of the injection, and the effects of a cortisone injection typically last between 6 weeks to 6 months.

What is the name of the gel injection for knees?

Hyaluronic acid injection is used to treat knee pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) in patients who have already been treated with pain relievers (e.g., acetaminophen) and other treatments that did not work well.

What is the best painkiller for knee pain?

Over-The-Counter Medication for Knee Pain The main over-the-counter drugs are acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brands) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (or NSAIDs), including aspirin (such as Bayer), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve). These can help with simple sprains or even arthritis.

What is better for knee pain heat or cold?

Heat helps loosen tight muscles and joints and relieves pain and muscle spasms. If you have swelling, it's best to use ice for 24 hours, then switch to heat. If swelling isn't a problem, it's fine to use heat when you first notice knee pain.

How long should knee pain last?

You'll only need 1 or 2 days of rest to ease minor knee pain, but severe injuries may keep you off your feet longer. Talk to your doctor if it doesn't get better after a few days.

What is the best sleeping position for knee pain?

Your best bet is to sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs. The pillow will cushion your knees so they don't rub together, says Redish. It'll also reduce pressure on the knee while you sleep.

How to treat a swollen knee?

Compression: Use a compression sleeve or an ACE-style wrap to help decrease swelling and stiffness.

What is the best supplement for knee arthritis?

Glucosamine and chondroitin are two supplements that are often combined and taken orally to treat knee arthritis. These supplements, which are produced naturally in the body, are thought to impede cartilage degeneration by protecting cells called chondrocytes, which give the cartilage its structure.

What type of injections can help with arthritis?

Viscosupplementation is another type of injection that may provide some arthritis relief without surgical intervention.

What is the most common type of arthritis in the knee?

While there are many different types of arthritis, the most frequently seen variety in the knee is osteoarthritis (OA), which typically causes pain and stiffness as you bend or straighten the knee. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of treatment options available for osteoarthritis, which are detailed in the sections below. 1.

How does acupuncture help with arthritis?

This intervention involves inserting fine-tipped needles into different areas of the body in order to treat arthritis pain. Originally based on traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is thought to reduce symptoms by stimulating the release of pain-relieving endorphins in the body.

What is the best medication for arthritis?

In rare instances when your symptoms are unable to be controlled by other medications or when surgery is not an option, opioid analgesic medications (also known as narcotics) may be prescribed to manage your arthritis. This class of pain medication—which includes drugs like oxycodone and morphine—can be effective in reducing the pain associated with this condition in very specific individuals. 4

Is knee arthritis common in 2021?

Updated on May 28, 2021. Knee arthritis is extremely common, especially as you age, and can prevent you from participating in your daily activities.

Overview

Arthritis is a disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints. It can affect the largest and strongest joints in your body. It’s common in knees. Arthritis of the knee can be a serious, debilitating disease.

Symptoms and Causes

Experts have identified some genes that might cause arthritis, including arthritis of the knee. They predict that there are more genes not yet discovered. You could have a gene linked to arthritis without knowing it and a virus or injury could trigger arthritis of the knee.

Diagnosis and Tests

Your healthcare provider will probably order X-rays of your knees to check for arthritis. The X-rays should reveal:

Management and Treatment

Arthritis in your knee will likely always affect you. But some treatments help reduce the severity of the symptoms and maybe keep the disease from getting worse.

Prevention

Most known causes of arthritis of the knee are unpreventable and include:

Living With

Pain and stiffness caused by arthritis of the knee can make walking difficult. In the later stages, your knee might even lock up. You might struggle even to move it. See your healthcare provider about treatments that might reduce your risk of such symptoms.

How to help knee pain?

A crutch or cane can take the stress off of your knee. Knee splints and braces can also help you stay stable. Do consider acupuncture. This form of traditional Chinese medicine, which involves inserting fine needles at certain points on the body , is widely used to relieve many types of pain and may help knee pain.

What exercises help with knee pain?

Cardio exercises strengthen the muscles that support your knee and increase flexibility. Weight training and stretching do, too. For cardio, some good choices include walking, swimming, water aerobics, stationary cycling, and elliptical machines. Tai chi may also help ease stiffness and improve balance.

How to heal a swollen knee?

Wrap your ice pack in a towel to be kind to your skin. After that, you can heat things up with a warm bath, heating pad, or warm towel for 15 to 20 minutes, three or four times a day. Don’t jar your joint (s). High-impact exercises can further injure painful knees.

How long does it take for a knee to numb after a knee injury?

To find the appropriate insole, speak with your doctor or a physical therapist. Do play with temperature. For the first 48 to 72 hours after a knee injury, use a cold pack to ease swelling and numb the pain.

What to do for knee pain from arthritis flare up?

Do use "RICE. " Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) is good for knee pain caused by a minor injury or an arthritis flare. Give your knee some rest, apply ice to reduce swelling, wear a compressive bandage, and keep your knee elevated. Don't overlook your weight.

How to help knees feel better?

Don’t rest too much. Too much rest can weaken your muscles, which can worsen joint pain. Find an exercise program that is safe for your knees and stick with it.

Can squats cause knee pain?

Also avoid doing exercises such as lunges and deep squats that put a lot of stress on your knees. These can worsen pain and, if not done correctly, cause injury. Do get expert advice. If your knee pain is new, get a doctor to check it out.

How to relieve pain from a sprained knee?

The right combination of strengthening and stretching exercises can relieve pain by helping to improve the way the joint moves and functions.

How to get rid of kinks in knee?

You should also incorporate daily stretching into your routine. Try using a foam roller to work out the kinks in your muscles. The roller targets tight, rigid, and painful areas in both the muscles and the myofascial tissue (a layer of connective tissue around the muscles). This process, called myofascial release, which can also be performed through a hands-on massage, is designed to relax this tissue to reduce pain. It does this by releasing tension in muscles that are pulling abnormally on the knee joint, says Dr. Elson.

What conditions can exercise help?

Knee exercises and stretches can help relieve knee pain caused by many conditions, including these three that commonly affect older women:

How to stretch your right leg?

Movement: Grasp your right leg with both hands behind the thigh. Extend your leg to lift your right foot toward the ceiling, foot flexed. Straighten the leg as much as possible without locking the knee to feel a stretch along the back of the right thigh. Hold. Return to the starting position and repeat with the left leg.

What muscles do you use to help knee pain?

To ease knee pain, you’ll want to perform exercises that work a number of different muscles, from the hip abductors to the hamstrings and quadriceps , says Dr. Elson.

How to keep your pelvis still?

Contract your abdominal muscles and keep your pelvis still (no rocking) throughout.

Can you exercise if your knee hurts?

While many conditions that cause knee pain can be helped by exercise, in some instances it may not be appropriate, says Dr. Lauren Elson, an instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. You should stop exercising and see a doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

What to do if knee pain is affecting your life?

If you have severe knee pain that is interfering with your day-to-day life, then your doctor will help you to deal with it. He or she will set a target weight reduction plan if your high BMI is responsible for making your condition worse. Your orthopedic doctor, physiotherapist and nutritionist may work out a plan based on exercise and dietary changes.

How to relieve knee pain while resting?

Use a heating pad to relieve knee pain while resting your knee and then use cold treatment to reduce inflammation.

Why does my knee hurt so bad?

Knee pain due to minor injury, arthritis and inflammation will often resolve without any medical intervention. For any type of knee pain assessment of the condition is important.

How to stop swelling in knee?

You can use a compression bandage and wrap it gently around the knee joint to prevent swelling. Take rest and keep your affected knee and foot elevated.

What are some exercises to help with osteoarthritis of the knee?

They should find and adopt an activity they enjoy the most. Walking, cycling, yoga, tai chi, water exercise and swimming are the best options.

How to help stiffness in joints?

To help ease stiffness in the joint take a warm shower early in the morning

Can knee pain be mild?

Knee pain can be mild, moderate to severe as it can be caused by both short-term and long-term issues. Short-term knee issues do not require any help from orthopaedic doctors as those who have such issues can often help themselves for their own recovery. Though home remedies can help improve your condition and manage your symptoms to a certain extent, they don’t offer any help in severe and complicated cases of knee pain. For long-term resolution of knee pain and inflammation you should consult a joint pain specialist doctor.

What is the best medicine for arthritis in the knee?

Valaik says there’s good science behind cortisone shots and other injections, such as hyaluronic acid (HA) injections, that lubricate the inner workings of the knee and help relieve arthritis pain.

What is a total knee replacement?

A total knee replacement is more of a resurfacing of the bones in the knee: the end of the femur (thigh bone), the top of the tibia (the thicker of the two bones in the shin) and the inward facing surface of the patella, or kneecap. The surgeon removes the bony surfaces and replaces them with metal and plastic implants.

How long does it take for a knee to heal after a radiofrequency ablation?

RFA is likely a temporary fix, as nerves will grow back in six months to two years , and the pain may return.

How long does a knee replacement last?

Other people with knee pain are too young for a knee replacement — the artificial knee is only likely to last 15 or 20 years, after which the person may need revision surgery.

How to get rid of leg pain?

“Strengthening the quadriceps and hamstring muscles in the leg is going to help reduce pain and make it easier to stay mobile,” says Valaik, who recommends regular low-impact exercise, such as riding a bike or walking on a treadmill.

Does weight make knees hurt?

Extra weight puts pressure on the knees and increases stress on the joint, increasing pain and making it hard to exercise, Valaik explains. Research compiled by the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center confirms that carrying extra pounds raises your risk of developing knee arthritis and speeds up the destruction of cartilage that cushions the joint.

Can knee replacements replace cartilage?

For knees with a limited amount of arthritis and good alignment of the bones, doctors may be able to offer newer treatments that replace cartilage instead of replacing the entire joint.

What is the best treatment for knee pain?

Hyaluronic acid acts to lubricate the knee, which can improve mobility and reduce pain. Arthroscopic surgery — Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive type of knee surgery performed with a camera inserted through small incisions.

How to help knee arthritis?

Therapists can use ice and heat, electrical nerve stimulation and other therapies to increase blood flow to the knee.

What is the best medicine for arthritis in the knee?

The two most common supplements used for knee arthritis are glucosamine sulfate and hyaluronic acid.

What type of surgery is needed to replace a knee?

This type of surgery could delay or eliminate the need for knee replacement surgery. Osteotomy Osteotomy is a type of surgical procedure where the surgeon makes a cut in your shin or thigh bone to shift the load away from the arthritic area of the knee.

Can arthroscopic surgery be done on a knee?

This type of surgery could delay or eliminate the need for knee replacement surgery.

Can knee replacement surgery help with arthritis?

Eventually, this often leads to knee replacement surgery, which remains the most effective treatment for permanent pain relief.

Can osteotomy be done on one side of knee?

This typically is recommended for younger patients with deformity or damage only in one side of the knee. Although this is considered an alternative to knee replacement surgery, osteotomy might make it difficult for patients to undergo successful knee replacement surgery at a later time, if needed.

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Home Remedies and Lifestyle

Over-The-Counter (OTC) Therapies

Self-treatment: Self- care steps that may be helpful in some less- serious cases:
  • Use muscle relaxant sprays or ointments for mild pain
  • Apply hot or cold compress
  • Avoid strenuous activities
  • Use over the counter medication like ibuprofen if the pain is unbearable
  • Perform mild exercises to help reduce knee pain
See a doctor if you notice:
  • Pain for more than 3 days
  • It recurs often
  • It disturbs sleep

See a doctor immediately if you notice:
  • Severe pain and inability to bear weight
  • Swelling around the knee joint
  • Inability to fully extend or flex the knee
  • Any obvious deformities of the knee or the leg
  • Fever along with symptoms like pain, redness and swelling around the knee joint

Prescription Medication

Surgeries and Specialist-Driven Procedures

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

A Word from Verywell

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