How to Reduce Chronic Knee Pain Without Surgery

Chronic knee pain can prevent you from living your best life, whether you’re an injured athlete, an aging senior, or have suffered an injury to the knee structure. Surgery isn’t the only road to recovery; you may be able to benefit from treatments that are minimally invasive instead. 

At Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine in Ramsey, New Jersey, Dr. Kevin McElroy and Dr. Steven Ferrer offer a variety of treatments for chronic knee pain and can help restore your functionality, flexibility, and range of motion.  

Causes of chronic knee pain

Chronic knee pain can be caused by an acute injury, a repetitive use injury, or arthritis connected to an old injury that left lasting damage. You could suffer from a torn ligament or tendon, have sustained damage to the kneecap, or have muscle tears around the knee structure. 

Since the knee bears most of your weight, and it the most complex joint in the body, damage to any part of the structure can lead to chronic pain and dysfunction. Although some knee injuries such as complete tears of ligaments or tendons may require surgery, many injuries can be effectively treated with less invasive measures.  

Common signs of a knee injury

In addition to chronic pain, you may have noticed one or more of the following symptoms connected to a knee injury or deterioration:

• Decreased range of motion
• Stiffness in the knee joint
• Clicking or popping when you walk
• Locking of the knee joint in extended or bent position
• Bruising, swelling, or discoloration around the knee
• Tenderness to touch or pressure
• Instability or a feeling like your knee may buckle under you
• Limping or difficulty walking, siting, or standing

Even mild discomfort shouldn't be ignored if it lasts more than a few weeks, as this can be a sign of an injury that is refusing to heal or a degenerating knee joint that is vulnerable to more damage. 

Nonsurgical knee treatments

At Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine, your doctor focuses on the most conservative method of treatment that will be effective in diminishing your chronic pain. Some treatments we may recommend include:

• Athletic taping, bracing or splinting 
• Rehabilitative exercises
• Heat or cold therapy
• Steroid injections 
• Interventional pain injections such as nerve blocks for the knee
• Regenerative therapy such as Fluid Flow™ Therapy
• Electrical stimulation
• Botox® injections
• Osteopathic manipulation treatment (OMT)

For chronic knee pain caused by arthritis, you might also benefit from viscosupplementation, which is the practice of injecting hyaluronic acid into your knee to reduce stiffness and swelling in your joint.

We will work with you to find the right nonsurgical approach to address your chronic knee pain.  To schedule your consultation, call 201-201-0443, or request an appointment online.