Are you tired of taking medicines for your knee pain without any relief?
When your doctor recommends taking painkillers every day for your pain, you may take them for your good, but you may start feeling acidic or addicted because of taking painkillers for a long time.
Several options including physiotherapy and surgery can alleviate your knee pain and you may not need to take medicines frequently.
Let us read about the symptoms and causes of knee pain along with treatment options
Knee pain can be caused by damaged cartilages or ligaments. Gout infections and different types of arthritis can also cause knee pain.
What are the symptoms of knee pain?
Following are the symptoms of knee pain:
1) Excessive swelling and stiffness in the knee.
2) The area is warm to the touch.
3) Weakness in the knee.
4) Crunching noises while folding the knee.
5) Incapable of straightening the knee.
What are the causes of knee pain?
Following are the causes of knee pain:
1) Fractures:
Persons whose knees have been weakened by osteoporosis or osteoarthritis can suddenly fall and have a knee fracture. The knee cap or the patella can be heavily damaged.
2) ACL injury:
The ligament which connects with your shin bone with your thigh bone is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It can be damaged while playing basketball, soccer, or any kind of sport.
3) Bursitis:
Bursitis is a kind of fluid that helps the tendons and the ligaments to glide over the knee joint. An inflammation in the sack of fluid can cause knee pain.
4) Osteoarthritis:
This is a condition, especially during old age which causes damage to the cartilage.
5) Rheumatoid arthritis:
In this type of arthritis, the autoimmune system can attack the joints in the body and can cause severe knee pain.6) Gout: In this type of disease, uric acid crystals build up in the joint and cause pain and inflammation in the knee.
4 strategies for treating knee pain
1 ) Knee Replacement Surgery –
For urgent relief, knee replacement surgery can be very beneficial. In knee replacement surgery, the surgeon removes the damaged joint along with ligaments and replaces it with implants that may be metallic.
Knee replacement has several disadvantages. Sometimes, the replaced implants do not fit properly and a revision surgery is required. Other times, there may be blood clots or nerve damage, or an infection in the surgical area.
Knee replacements may not last for a lifetime and may require another replacement after a period of 10-12 years.
After, a few months from the time of knee replacement, you may try to do the following.
– Tai chi or yoga:
Tai chi or yoga can improve the range of motion of your knee and help you get relief from further pain. It can also relieve stress and help you relax. The deep breathing technique and stress reduction technique are components of yoga or tai chi.
– Exercise:
Exercise can definitely help you in getting relief from developing painful symptoms again and lack of it can lead to stiffness. The exercise can include walking and swimming. However, if you have severe pain due to some reason, or a flare of symptoms do not do heavy exercises.
2) Weight management:
Weight management is one way to prevent pressure on your knee and help you reduce your pain. It has been observed that people with high body mass index have a higher chance of developing knee pain than people with low body mass index.
Weight can be controlled by doing regular exercise and yoga.
3) Physiotherapy
Heat and cold therapy are specific treatment options in physiotherapy. The physiotherapist will apply heat for 20 minutes and then apply cold over the affected area.
The therapist uses cold packs 3 times a day. He does not use heat therapy if your affected area is warm.
Therapy with cold packs can reduce blood flow and thereby decrease swelling and inflammation, whereas heat therapy can improve blood flow to the affected area and reduce muscle stiffness.
Knee Joint Mobilisation is a specific technique in physiotherapy in which traction or stretching is applied to the knee to reduce the tightness and the feeling of constant pain.
Ultrasound vibrations are high-frequency sound waves generated by the device and are an important technique in physiotherapy. The sound waves reach the deep tissue layer and provide relief to the patient because of the thermal or nonthermal vibration effect.
4) Stem cell Therapy:
Stem cell therapy involves transferring cells from bone marrow to the affected portion of the knee so that the cells form ligaments and bones in the damaged part of the knee.
Stem cell therapy is the best treatment option to get the fastest relief from knee pain as it does not involve any surgical procedure and is free from complications.
Stem cell therapy is a viable alternative to knee replacement surgeries. It is a painless procedure. If you are afraid of undergoing knee surgery due to its chance of infection and complications, you can go for stem cell therapy to treat your knee pain.
Stem cell therapy can help to build new ligaments and cartilage from the transplanted cells from your bone marrow.
Stem cells have the ability to help you regain strength in your knee by repairing the damaged bones, ligaments, and cartilage. It can help you straighten your knees and reduce inflammation and stiffness.
Conclusion :
It is recommended by doctors to take painkillers for your knee pain, but still if your knee pain does not get cured or the pain does not get reduced, you can think about stem cell therapy- a non-surgical option to treat your knee pain.
MedicoExperts is a 24*7 global virtual hospital that has a very efficient panel of orthopedics surgeons and stems cell therapists.
The organization can help you in reducing your pain symptoms by taking proper post-therapy care and regular check-up. It can help you take the right decisions after a series of consultations and make your stem cell therapy a hassle-free experience.
FAQ :
Q1. Is knee pain curable?
Knee pain is curable with stem cell therapy. However, before going for knee pain treatment, it is important to know the type of knee pain and the origin of the knee pain.
Q2. What age is knee pain common?
For older people knee pain can originate from osteoarthritis and for younger people it can be due to sports injury.
