You aren’t ready for knee surgery and still want as much life out of your knee as possible. There are still many options out there:
Medication
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help with knee swelling, pain, and stiffness due to knee osteoarthritis. Long-term NSAID use should always be discussed with your physician.
Injections: Cortisone shots are given to reduce knee inflammation, pain, and swelling associated with knee osteoarthritis. Hyaluronic acid injections are given to lubricate the knee, improve mobility, and reduce pain. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are a newer procedure currently being investigated in clinical trials.
Bracing: Knee braces range from neoprene sleeves purchased from the drug store to custom made braces that take pressure off where your knee rubs together. Braces can actually help your body feel better just by applying pressure to your painful knee.
Physical Therapy: Working with a professional physical therapist to strengthen the muscles around your knee may help alleviate knee pain and help you gain back range of motion you may have lost due to muscle weakness.
Weight loss: For each pound of extra weight you carry, your knees see 6 pounds of extra weight during daily activities. If you are overweight, losing weight can help your knees feel better.
Exercise: It may seem counterintuitive, but movement does help a painful knee.
The KneeMo® : The KneeMo® device is more than a brace. It is a set of motion sensing straps that are placed above and below the knee with built-in motion sensors that detect movement and trigger the device to vibrate with activity (ie. a step), interrupting the pain pathway as the brain processes the vibration stimulation instead of the knee pain. The KneeMo® is designed for the individual with knee pain who would like to stay active or be more active.
In a randomized clinical trial between two treatments, subjects wearing the device in which The KneeMo® is based on saw a significant reduction in knee pain and symptoms and improvement in gait parameters. No such difference was seen while wearing a standard neoprene knee strap.
Click here to read our abstract for the clinical trial (journal subscription necessary for the whole article).
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