Most people think that when they get knee pain, it’ll eventually “ease off” and go away on its own. They’ll wake up one morning–and like “magic”–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 it was when it first came on. Does that sound like you? Another scenario we see all the time at Penrose Physical Therapy is when people go to their doctor, and the well-meaning doctor tells them to “rest,” “try these painkillers,” and “come back in 6 weeks if it’s no better.”
But then, 6 weeks later, they end up going back to the same doctor again because it hasn’t gotten any better. They are given ANOTHER prescription of even stronger pills, maybe a knee support—or worse, they may be told that the ONLY thing left to do is to go down the route of knee replacement surgery. I hear worrying stories each week from people who have said “Yes” to knee surgery only to find 6 months down the line that knee pain comes back.
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 knee replacement surgery. That worries me! Especially when we’ve helped so many people like you to 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.
However, when it comes to knee replacement surgery, it is very difficult to never feel some side effects from the metal and plastic. Why? Well, it makes sense that your knees would still click and hurt months and even years after knee replacement surgery. After all, you’re getting the bones in your leg replaced with plastic and metal. I remember how bad it hurt to break my wrist. I would never willingly put myself through knee surgery if I didn’t HAVE to and if I knew there were natural options available to me to help get my knees on the mend. 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 consider your other 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.
1) It wins the “war” and NOT just the little battles. PT gets to the very root of your knee pain and eases it, not masking it with little victories that don’t last in the end.
2) You’re not reliant on PT for months or years.
3) It doesn’t lure you into a false sense of “I’m doing okay today” to then be hit by the pain when you didn’t expect it.
I know it can be confusing to know what to do about your knee pain when you’ve been told so many different things by different people! I just want you to know before you go down the surgery route that it’s worth finding out if there’s a way to put an end to the pain by avoiding dangerous knee surgery.
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
P.S. If you want to hear more healthy tips from Dr. Penrose, tune into her monthly podcast “Stay Healthy South Sound” on iTunes, Google Play or Spotify.
