The treatments for knee pain are many, but undoubtedly the type of treatment depends on the various parameters.
Medical management
Initially, for pain reduction, the physician prescribes anti-inflammatory painkillers mostly. The physician will prescribe medication for treating the underlying disease.
The physician may advise the patient to have a consultation with a physiotherapist, who are experts in providing exercises suitable according to the patient. They can guide on which activities are dangerous for this condition and which are not.
A physician delivers the injections containing corticosteroids or lubricants into the intra-articular space, which provides help in patients with arthritis. After some duration, these injections are repeated.
The basis of the treatment is the grade of the disease. Milder degrees require medical management, and as the stage becomes severe, medical management may not help in alleviating pain or improving the function of the knee joint.
Surgical management
At last, the patient will be advised for surgical intervention when medical management is unable to contain the pain. Arthroscopic evaluation is needed to look inside the knee through a few small holes and a fiber-optic camera. Injury repair by this method is necessary, and bone pieces removed lying over the cartilage.
In a partial knee replacement, metal and plastic parts replace the damaged portions of the knee.
And in total knee replacement, the entire knee joint is replaced with an artificial joint.
Like any other surgical procedure, the partial and total knee replacement have their complications and take time for recovery. And the patient has to be diligent in performing the advised physical exercises to strengthen the muscles and take medications as instructed.
Deep vein thrombosis is a common adverse event which the patient may experience post-surgery. The physician will prescribe pressure stocking, blood-thinning medication to counteract deep vein thrombosis. The patient has to follow the dos and don’ts.
Newer modality
Continuous research using the regenerative potential of the body’s cells is ongoing. Now scientists have found that stromal vascular fraction obtained from adipose tissue has potential for differentiation as well as regeneration. There is a lot of clinical evidence available on the web showing excellent results in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in terms of pain relief and improvement in functional outcome. There is no requirement for painkillers or anti-inflammatories after this treatment.
Adipose-derived Stromal Vascular Fraction (Ad-SVF) contains a heterogeneous mix of adipose stromal cells, progenitor cells, pericytes, T-regulatory cells, endothelial progenitor cells, anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, extracellular matrix, and many other cells types.
The knee receives an injection of an adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction, and this process accomplishes in a single surgical sitting.
The stromal vascular fraction from the lipoaspirate adipose tissue is obtained after ultrasonic cavitation and filtration. The isolation of stromal vascular fraction is enzyme and chemical-free. As the cells are autologous, the transmission of any disease is negligible. These cells have a unique ability to homing-in and differentiation. The tissue starts to grow where these cells attached.
After the treatment, the patient can get back to normal activities within a few weeks and can experience pain reduction very soon.
This therapy is beneficial in the early stages of osteoarthritis, while in late-stage osteoarthritis (stage IV), surgical intervention is the only option.
Tags: Joint pain, Knee Pain Treatment
