Non-Surgical Treatment Options Non-surgical interventions will be prescribed as the first step in managing your knee pain. These could include resting and using heat, or ice on the joint, plus taking over-the-counter antiinflammatory medications, like Advil or Aleve, to reduce pain and inflammation. A series of hydrocortisone shots to help reduce pain may also be prescribed. Additionally, you may be encouraged to do targeted physical therapy or add exercises at home to improve knee flexibility and combat stiffness. “There are plenty of nonsurgical options that can help keep the arthritis pain tolerable,” said Dr. Williams. Undergoing Knee Replacement Surgery When these nonsurgical interventions lose effectiveness, it may be time to consider knee replacement surgery. While many patients who have knee replacements are in their 60s or older, you don’t have to put off surgery until a certain age. “We frequently do knee replacement Following surgery, patients will complete roughly one week of in-home physical therapy. They will continue therapy two to three times per week at a physical therapy clinic for three to four additional weeks. Once physical therapy is complete, knee replacement patients can return to full physical activity. “Following recovery, patients can bike, swim, walk, play golf, play tennis – practically any activity they may want to enjoy,” said Dr. Williams. “The only activities we don’t recommend are high-impact activities like running.” If you’ve been dealing with debilitating knee pain, talk with your doctor about the next steps to get your pain under control – including whether you may be a candidate for knee surgery. surgery on patients younger than 60, who perhaps had an injury that caused arthritis to develop earlier than it otherwise might have,” added Dr. Williams. Knee Replacement Surgery: What to Expect Surgical procedures for knee replacement have advanced considerably in recent years – to the point that many patients can go home the same day as their knee replacement surgery. “Many of our younger, healthier patients can do the procedure on an outpatient basis and don’t need to stay overnight in the hospital at all,” noted Dr. Williams. To ease recovery, your physician will likely recommend only replacing one knee at a time, even if you have pain in both knees.
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