According to the World Health Organization, more than 365 million people worldwide are living with knee osteoarthritis, 1 a number expected to increase with the aging population. However, osteoarthritis pain doesn't have an inevitable part of your life as you grow older. Here are some of the top treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee.
Nonsurgical Treatments
These are typically the first line of treatment and aim to reduce pain, restore function, and slow down the progression of the disease.
- Physical Therapy: Involves exercises designed to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint as well as modalities such as heat or cold therapy, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to alleviate pain and promote healing.
- Corticosteroid Injections: Corticosteroid injections directly into the knee joint can provide temporary relief from pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.
- Viscosupplementation: Viscosupplementation involves injecting a gel-like substance called hyaluronic acid into the knee joint to lubricate and cushion the joint, reducing friction and improving mobility.
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP): PRP therapy involves injecting a concentrated solution of platelets, growth factors, and other healing components derived from the patient's own blood into the knee joint.
- Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) Therapy: BMAC therapy involves extracting bone marrow from the patient's hip bone or other sources, processing it to concentrate the regenerative cells, growth factors, and other healing components, and then injecting the resulting solution into the knee joint.
Arthroscopic Procedures
Knee arthroscopy involves inserting a small camera and surgical instruments into the knee joint through keyhole incisions. This allows surgeons to assess and address damaged cartilage, remove debris, and smooth rough surfaces. It may reduce symptoms, improve mobility to some extent, and delay the need for joint replacement.
Knee Replacement
Unlike the treatments mentioned above, joint replacement surgery addresses the underlying cause of your symptoms and is considered the ultimate solution for knee osteoarthritis. During knee replacement, the damaged joint surfaces are replaced with artificial implants, providing long-term pain relief and functionality. Otherwise healthy patients may be discharged on the same day as the surgery to recover from home.
Approximately 800,000 knee replacements are performed annually in the US.2 It’s one of the safest and most reliable procedures. The surgery enables millions of people with end-stage arthritis to continue to live active and fulfilling lives. Don’t wait until your mobility is severely affected to seek treatment, contact us today to find out if you are a candidate for knee replacement surgery.
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/osteoarthritis#:~:text=With%20a%20prevalence%20of%20365,benefit%20from%20rehabilitation%20(3).
- https://rheumatology.org/patients/joint-replacement-surgery
David N. Buchalter, MD is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive hip and knee replacement surgery at South Palm Orthopedics. Dr. Buchalter uses the latest cutting-edge surgical and nonsurgical techniques for orthopedic patients across South Florida.
