Non-surgical options for knee pain

For many cases of knee arthritis, jumping into surgery doesn’t have to be your first option.  Sometimes focusing on weight loss, exercise therapy, and physiotherapy can be enough to slow the progression of knee arthritis and improve knee health and function.  

These are services Thrive Health Systems offers, but sometimes it is not enough.  

Fortunately, we are now able to offer other alternatives.  

Dr. Karl Robinson is a nurse practitioner and chiropractor who is providing hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation to the knee.  This is a way of directly administering nutrition to the knee joint by an injection of hyaluronic acid directly into the knee.  

Hyaluronic acid is a thick gel like fluid that your body cannot absorb if taken by mouth, but can be injected into a joint.  It naturally occurs in the joints and functions to lubricate joints and help absorb the forces the joint faces, like a shock absorber.  

People who suffer from the wear and tear type of arthritis, called osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, have a lower than normal amount of hyaluronic acid in their affected joints.  

Supplementing these joints with hyaluronic acid injections can result in long term reduction of pain and improving function.  Because we currently don’t have a way to restore lost cartilage, it is a good idea to consider your options as soon as you start to develop knee arthritis and not after it has become very advanced.  

Hyaluronic acid injections can be a great alternative to knee surgery as they supply the knee with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, they provide a natural shock absorber in a joint that faces a lot of stress, and they lubricate a joint that is missing that needed lubrication for the joint surfaces to move smoothly over each other.  

At Thrive Health Systems, we can also offer ultrasound imaging to ensure that then needle is placed in the proper place to get the best result from your injection.  

Other non-surgical options for knee pain may include prolotherapy to strengthen ligaments or tendons by stimulating tissue growth and repair, Class IV Laser therapy to stimulate healing, and/or steroid injections to reduce inflammation within the knee.  

At Thrive Health Systems, Dr. Robinson can provide a careful evaluation of your individual case and discuss these and other non-surgical options for knee osteoarthritis and related issues.

---