Can knee arthritis be cured without surgery? This is what experts say

Although there is no cure for knee arthritis, there are several non-surgical treatments that help relieve pain and slow the progression of the disease, depending on what stage the painful and debilitating condition has reached. Is in. Read on to learn some expert-backed methods to help manage knee arthritis symptoms, including surgery, over-the-counter medications, alternative treatments, and even stem cell procedures.

Doctors say that if identified at the right time, the progression of arthritis can be slowed or stopped in most patients.

Let’s come together those who have arthritis in the knee, which causes severe pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints, are having the worst time. Also known as osteoarthritis, this debilitating knee condition is a slowly progressive condition where the wear and tear of the joint lining (cartilage) gradually increases over a period of several years. The wear and tear process may have begun long before you experience actual pain.

According to experts, the progression of arthritis can be slowed or stopped in most patients if identified at the right time. “Treatment focuses on reducing pain, improving joint function, and slowing the progression of the disease. The most important deciding factor is the stage at which you are seeking treatment for arthritis,” says Dr. Naveen Kumar LV, Senior Consultant-Orthopaedics Sports Injury Specialist-Arthroscopy and Robotic Joint Replacement Surgery, Manipal Hospital, told Times Now.

How do the different stages of knee arthritis affect its condition?

According to Dr. Kumar, arthritis is divided into four stages:

Stage 1 – Softening of the cartilage
Stage 2 – 25 to 50 percent cartilage loss
Stage 3 – 51 to 75 percent cartilage loss
Stage 4 – 100 percent loss of cartilage

“If arthritis has reached stage 4, the raw bone ends will rub against each other, causing more severe pain. “If you have reached stage 4 arthritis, non-surgical options will be very unlikely to help you. And even if non-surgical treatment helps you, it will be temporary and will not provide long-term relief,” said Dr Kumar.

Experts say joint replacement surgery is the only way to treat stage 4 arthritis that is likely to give you lasting good results.

Non-surgical methods for treating the early stages of arthritis

However, if your knee arthritis is stage one to three, and there is still some cartilage lining left, non-surgical options may help slow or stop the progression of arthritis. Here are some non-surgical options, including changing your lifestyle, that may help:

weight management

Losing excess weight can reduce the stress on the knee joints to a great extent. Therefore, it can reduce the pain. “Easy to say but not easy to do! However, low-impact exercise like cycling along with dietary control can still help you lose weight,” says Dr. Kumar said.

Exercise

Regular low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling and walking help strengthen the muscles around the knee, providing better support to the joint and reducing stiffness. You can also try doing higher strength training exercises that can reduce the load on your knee.

physical therapy

A physical therapist can guide exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee and improve flexibility, which can reduce pain and improve mobility. Additionally, pain relief modalities such as interferential therapy, ultrasound therapy, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may be of some help.

medicines

Some over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs like ibuprofen can help manage pain and inflammation but won’t cure anything. Additionally, “topical treatments such as creams or ointments containing ingredients such as menthol or capsaicin may provide temporary relief,” the doctor said.

Additionally, Dr. Kumar recommends corticosteroids that are injected directly into the knee joint to reduce inflammation and provide temporary relief. “Although it is better and safer than taking pain medication daily, one needs to understand that steroid injections work as pain relief but do not change the condition of the joint,” he said.

Hyaluronic acid injections are also successful in lubricating the knee joint, improving movement, and reducing pain.

alternative treatments

By using alternative treatments such as acupuncture, many people find relief from knee arthritis symptoms; However, the effects of this method of treatment are likely to last for a few months.

stem cell therapy

Although it is a common misconception that stem cell therapy can cure arthritis, doctors believe that it is useful for cartilage regeneration for young patients with cartilage injuries. “Arthritis is the wear and tear of cartilage and you can expect changes to the underlying bone as well. These cannot be reversed by stem cell therapy. However, like PRP injections, stem cell therapy may provide some temporary relief for a period of 6 months to 1 year,” Dr. Kumar said.

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