Knee pain can be a tricky symptom to treat because it can be caused by so many different factors. Understanding its causes and available treatment options is essential to successful treatment. To help patients suffering from knee pain better understand how to approach their pain, this article offers up four tips for effectively identifying and treating your knee pain.
The most important first step is to get an accurate diagnosis of what’s causing your knee pain. Treating a torn ACL is a lot different than treating Osteoarthritis of the knee. You need to have an accurate picture of what’s wrong before you start down a treatment path.
If you are unsatisfied with your initial diagnosis or recommended treatment strategy, don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion. Medicine is not black and white, and different doctors have different approaches. Some work better than others.
Once you’ve visited a pain management doctor and you have a treatment plan in place, it’s essential that you stick to it, even if it doesn’t provide immediate pain relief. Many patients get frustrated when their treatment doesn’t work right away and stop their treatment plan. This is the worst thing you can do. Stick with your doctor-recommended strategy, and then revisit its success after you’ve completed the treatment course. At that point you can make changes to the treatment strategy if need be.
A lot of patients are hesitant to even try regenerative medicine treatments like PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and prolotherapy injections. But these methods have been widely used for a long time now. Many professional athletes use PRP to recover from sports injuries. Best of all they are completely natural and provide a relatively painless alternative to surgery. So keep an open mind and ask your doctor if regenerative medicine is a good option for your situation.
Advanced Spine & Pain Clinics of MN offers premier pain management care to patients throughout the Twin Cities. Our physicians are board-certified in pain management, and trained in the most up to date treatment methods – from nerve block injections to regenerative medicine. We treat each patient according to their unique, individual needs. Reach out to us today at our Twin Cities pain clinic to make your appointment with one of our board-certified pain doctors.