Nonsurgical Knee Pain Treatments

At St. Elizabeth, we know knee surgery isn’t always the answer. Our Orthopaedic team's primary focus is to create a customized treatment plan that minimizes your knee pain and maximizes your quality of life. Your treatment plan will include nonsurgical treatment options such as exercise, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and injections. 

Exercise 

It may seem counter-intuitive that exercise improves your knee pain. However, studies show exercise can reduce and sometimes even prevent joint pain from occurring. Exercising gets your blood pumping and strengthens your muscles and joints. A few low-impact exercise options include: 

• Yoga 
• Tai chi
• Walking
• Swimming 

Make sure to warm up with gentle stretching before each exercise session.

Physical Therapy 

St. Elizabeth offers 13 different Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy locations throughout Northern Kentucky. Our physical therapists work with you to improve muscle strength and motion in your knee. Through manual therapy and supervised exercises, your physical therapist will help you reduce knee pain, have less stiffness in your knee joint and improve your knee’s functional ability. Physical therapy is often used in patients who are considering knee surgery as a means to improve function without surgical intervention.

Anti-Inflammatory Medications

Your physician may suggest anti-inflammation medication to help reduce the inflammation in and around your knee. These medications, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), can help relieve mild to moderate pain by reducing inflammation. 

Injections  

A corticosteroid (also known as a cortisone shot) is often given as a temporary solution to help relieve your knee pain. The steroid is injected directly into your knee joint, helping to reduce inflammation and pain. However, there is a downside: too many injections can cause joint damage, so typically there is a limit on the number of cortisone shots a patient can receive.

Contact Us 

Is your knee pain bothering you? Schedule an appointment with our Sports Medicine physicians for a treatment plan tailored to you. Call (859) 212-5600 to make an appointment.

If knee surgery is necessary, our physicians can provide a referral to one of our affiliated orthopaedic surgeons.