LACEY (WA) – Most people think that when they get knee pain, it’ll eventually “ease off” and go away on its own. They hope to wake up one morning and like “magic”, their knee pain will be a thing of the past. But then 6 months later they’re still living with the discomfort of knee pain, often even worse than when it first started. Does this sound like a familiar scenario? Here at Penrose Physical Therapy we also see people who have gone to their doctor but get the unfortunate responses of “try these painkillers”, “you just need some rest”, or “come see me in 6 weeks if you still have pain.”
What usually ends up happening, 6 weeks later, they end up going back to the same doctor again because their knee pain is still present and often much worse. It’s also not uncommon for doctors to prescribe ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills or perhaps even a knee brace. However, in the most extreme cases, their patients are told that the ONLY thing left to do is an inevitable knee replacement surgery. Unfortunately, we’ve seen countless patients who agreed to knee surgery only to have their original knee pain come back just a few month later.
I do, however, want to be clear that knee pain after knee replacement surgery is a tricky topic. Most medical professionals will tell you that knee replacement surgery is the “solution” for anyone with arthritis and painful knees that have lasted for months. But the reality is, once the procedure is done, it doesn’t guarantee you won’t have pain after the surgery. That worries me! Especially when we’ve helped so many people live life with a lot less knee pain–naturally! I believe in many cases that the body has the capacity to heal itself when given the right conditions to do so.
Although, when it comes to knee replacement surgery, it is very difficult to never feel some side effects after the surgery. Why? Well, you are replacing your bones with pieces of metal and plastic, hence the “replacement” in knee replacement surgery. You’ll likely continue to feel some clicking and discomfort in the knee for months or even years after the surgery. I remember how bad it hurt to break my wrist. Personally, I would never willingly put myself through knee surgery if I didn’t HAVE to or if I knew natural healing options were available. If you’ve got painful knees, and you’ve been told that one of your most hopeful options to get rid of it is surgery, I’d recommend you seek other treatment options first. Ideally, start with a solid approach on the premise that your body can help your knees with the aid of natural solutions.
What most people don’t know is that hands-on physical therapy can help you get back on the path to healing. If you’re confused about the advice you’ve been given, and you think you’ve already tried all of your options, here are 3 ways PT is better than continuous medication (or surgery) for helping to ease knee pain.
- It wins the “war” and NOT just the little battles. PT gets to the root of your knee pain and eases it, not masking it with little victories that don’t last in the end.
- You’re not reliant on PT for months or years.
- It doesn’t lure you into a false sense of “I’m doing ok today” to then be hit by the pain when you didn’t expect it.
I know it can be confusing on what to do about your knee pain when you’ve been told so many different things by different people! Now, if you’ve been contemplating a knee replacement surgery, I hope you’ve considered the different options available to you and if you haven’t, we are more than happy to help you discover a path worth taking!
The author, Jennifer Penrose, is a Physical Therapist and owner of Penrose Physical Therapy. If you have any questions about knee pain, you can call (360) 456-1444 or email jennifer@penrosept.com
