Even though knee replacement surgery is one option for relieving joint pain, you might think you’re too young or not ready for it. Numerous nonsurgical treatment choices exist to assist with easing knee pain, increment the range of motion, and enhance your quality of life.
This blog aims to explore all traditional treatment options with pros and cons and highlight why PRP is the right option for you. So, keep reading!
Various Knee Pain Treatment Options
Apart from home remedies (Rest, Ice application, Compression, Elevation (R.I.C.E.), and activity restriction, doctors recommend the following traditional knee pain treatment options:
- Physical Therapy
Physical therapy, including stretching and strengthening exercises, aims to reduce pain and improve range of motion. However, physical therapy can only mask the symptoms temporarily. But it does not treat the underlying causes. You will have to practice physical therapy for an extended duration. Hence, it is time to opt for permanent relief from pain.
However, physical therapy in combination with PRP treatment for knee pain shows better efficacy compared to physical therapy alone [9].
- Medications
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) aid in reducing pain and inflammation, and analgesics aim to reduce pain. Studies revealed that its consumption for a long time leads to potential side effects including heart, gastrointestinal, and kidney problems [1].
Additionally, their long-term administration has significant side effects, especially in the upper gastrointestinal tract, leading to gastrointestinal perforation, abdominal pain, peptic ulcer disease, diarrhea, stricture formation, and nausea/vomiting. Other side effects include renal insufficiency, hypertension, hyperkalemia, and congestive heart failure [2].
Prolonged use of NSAIDs can also increase the risk of stroke and heart attack depending on the drugs and their dose levels [3]
- Hyaluronic Acid Injection
A research study published in the journal Arthroscopy revealed that PRP injections were significantly more effective than hyaluronic acid (HA) injections by providing long-term pain relief with improved joint function. Hyaluronic acid can only lubricate the knee joint, but it cannot treat cartilage loss unlike PRP therapy [5].
However, HA combined with PRP treatment for knee pain showed better efficacy compared to PRP or HA as respective standalone treatments [10]
- Corticosteroid injection
Although corticosteroid injections into the knee reduce inflammation, they have systemic and local adverse effects and provide short-term relief lasting only for 1-3 weeks. Frequent use of steroid injections can increase the risk of degeneration, and sometimes the complications associated with these injections may be fatal.
Corticosteroid injections are used to treat sports injuries due to their anti-inflammatory effect. Again, its long-term administration may lead to temporary deterioration of diabetes mellitus, anaphylaxis, cutaneous atrophy, facial flushing, and hyperglucocorticoidism. Though steroid treatment provided short-term benefits, there was an increase in pain along with a decline in function. These patients faced a higher recurrence of symptoms after a year [6].
Recent research shows that PRP treatment provides more long-term relief from joint pain and enhances the quality of life in a shorter duration compared to corticosteroid injections. People may think that a PRP injection is just like a cortisone shot. But it is not so. Long-term cortisone administration will suppress the body’s natural healing mechanism which may lead to knee replacement surgery later on. PRP treatment for knee pain, on the other hand, helps your body heal itself and repairs the damaged tissue. Hence, you need not have to undergo surgery in your later stage [4].
- Surgery
Surgical methods include joint distraction, knee arthroscopy, knee osteotomy, knee bone spur surgery, meniscus surgery, and partial or total joint replacement. Your physician may recommend these options if non-surgical methods do not yield any improvement. However, joint replacement surgery is considered the last option.
The surgical procedures are invasive, painful, and may be associated with complications. But the worst part of the surgery is a prolonged duration of rehabilitation post-surgery to regain flexibility and strength. You have already suffered from pain for a long time, and a lengthy rehabilitation post-surgery can be distressing. Additionally, the incidence of pain after the surgery is high around 20%, in addition to anaesthesia and surgery-associated risks [7].
Despite following conservative methods, if your knee pain persists for a prolonged duration becomes severe, or hinders your routine activities; surgery might turn out to be the only option to get rid of these issues permanently.
- PRP treatment
Here comes platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment to put an end to the symptoms by healing the injured cells and reviving the normal function. This non-surgical procedure is a simple daycare procedure with minimal downtime. It improves recovery within a short duration by stimulating the body’s healing mechanism naturally.
Furthermore, PRP therapy has no side effects as it involves the patient’s own blood cells. Hence, there are neither any allergy/rejection issues. Just suppressing the symptoms is not enough. It is mandatory to treat the cause of the disease. This is where PRP treatment proves safe and effective to treat the underlying cause naturally and permanently.
A 2017 review study revealed that PRP treatment can manage knee pain associated with osteoarthritis by significantly reducing pain score and physician function at each follow-up [8].
Final Thoughts
Do not allow your knee pain to stop you from doing routine activities. Keep knee pain at bay with PRP treatment that focuses on the repair, replacement, and regeneration of new cells to restore the impaired function of affected joints.
With PRP treatment for knee pain, heal naturally with minimal recovery time. Get back to doing things you love faster without surgery.
In case you would like to know more about PRP treatment, connect with Medica Stem Cells Clinic right away. You can also find out if you or your loved ones are eligible to undergo this knee pain treatment.
