Interventional Treatment of Knee Pain (Non-surgical treatment of Knee Pain)
1. Intraarticular Steroid injections:
Patients with severe pain in the knee, joint effusions, and local signs of inflammation benefit from intraarticular injections of corticosteroids (triamcinolone 40 mg). This will be effective for a short-term period in reducing pain and increasing quadriceps strength. Some patients will require about 2 to 3 injections in a year, to use aseptic precautions, the infection rate is negligible. Sometimes mild flare-ups are possible in joint inflammation following intraarticular injections. Repeated steroid injections are not recommended for the fear of damaging the cartilage of weight-bearing joints.
2. Prolotherapy and Prolozone Therapy:
Injection of tissue proliferants (like ozone, dextrose, etc.) inside the joint and around the joint reduces pain, and inflammation and strengthens ligaments. It is also claimed that they promote cartilage growth
3. Visco-supplementation:
High molecular weight hyaluronic acid resembling synovial fluid is very helpful particularly in early osteoarthritis with knee pain. Newer research publications on this issue indicate that visco-supplementation with a high molecular weight hyaluronic acid salt has anti-inflammatory action and regeneration properties apart from its lubrication effects. It also activates platelets and therefore it is very commonly used with platelet-rich plasma injection.
4. Platelet Rich Plasma Injection:
Like its usefulness in other degenerative diseases, it is useful in osteoarthritis of the knee also. It is becoming popular throughout the world. This treatment is also called regeneration therapy of the knee as it regenerates the degenerated knee and significantly reduces knee pain. A combination of PRP and hyaluronic acid salt is a very popular treatment for knee pain in knee osteoarthritis.
5. Radio-Frequency (RF) Procedure:
This procedure is very effective in knee pain treatment in knee osteoarthritis and is approved by the US FDA. Genicular nerves carrying knee pain are blocked with this procedure for the long term. 1.5 to 2 years of pain relief is very common with RF procedures. non-surgical knee pain treatment