If you’ve been told you have bone-on-bone arthritis or chronic degeneration in your hip or knee, your first thought might be that surgery is inevitable. However, many patients successfully delay joint replacement or find long-term relief through non-surgical treatment.
At Vero Orthopaedics, our philosophy is rooted in joint preservation. Before considering a surgical intervention, we recommend exhausting these five conservative, evidence-based options.
1. Physical Therapy: Building a Natural Brace
Physical therapy is often the most powerful tool in our conservative arsenal. The goal isn’t just to move again; it’s to move better.
Two ways in which physical therapy can make this happen include strengthening the muscles around the joint and improving joint flexibility.
Muscle Strengthening
By building the muscles around the hip (glutes and hip abductors) and the knee (quadriceps and hamstrings), you take the mechanical pressure off the joint itself.
Increasing Flexibility
Stretching the hip flexors and calves can improve your gait, preventing the “limp” that often leads to secondary back pain. Our Physical Therapy team works directly with your physician to create a movement plan that respects your pain limits while pushing for progress.
2. Injection Therapies: Calming the Storm
When oral medications aren’t enough, targeted injections can provide a window of relief that allows you to engage more fully in therapy.
Injection therapies offer a powerful, localized approach to managing pain and inflammation right at the source, effectively breaking the pain cycle and facilitating increased participation in physical activities. These options bypass the digestive system, delivering medication or supportive agents directly into the joint space.
- Corticosteroid Injections: These provide rapid anti-inflammatory relief for “flares.”
- Viscosupplementation (Gel Injections): For those seeking knee injections for arthritis, hyaluronic acid acts as a lubricant to help the joint glide smoothly.
- Regenerative Options: For some, Regenexx® offers a path to using the body’s own healing cells to manage chronic joint discomfort.
3. Weight Management & Low-Impact Exercise
It is simple physics: your knees and hips bear the brunt of your body weight. For every pound lost, you remove four pounds of pressure from your knees.
Switching to low-impact activities—such as swimming, cycling, or using an elliptical—allows you to maintain cardiovascular health and joint lubrication without the pounding associated with running on pavement, for instance.
This is one of the most effective total knee replacement alternatives for early-to-mid-stage arthritis.
4. Bracing & Assistive Devices
Sometimes, your joint just needs a little structural help to relieve pressure and correct alignment, which is where specialized devices come into play. These non-surgical aids can provide immediate relief and may help slow the progression of joint damage.
Unloader Braces
These specialized knee braces are custom-fitted and designed to shift the weight-bearing load from the damaged (often arthritic) side of the joint to the healthier side.
By reducing the stress on the painful area, they can significantly decrease pain and improve function.
Custom Orthotics
These are prescriptive shoe inserts molded specifically to your feet. Misaligned feet, flat arches, or other structural issues can cause a chain reaction of pain, leading to improper mechanics and stress that travels up the leg to the knee and hips.
Orthotics correct this alignment to provide a stable foundation.
Walking Aids
Devices such as a trekking pole or cane can be vital tools for pain management and mobility. By holding the aid on the opposite side of your pain, you effectively transfer a portion of your body weight through the aid instead of the painful joint.
This simple action can significantly improve your mobility, stability, and quality of life while delaying the need for hip replacement or knee surgery.
5. Over-the-Counter Pain Management
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen can be effective for daily management. At Vero Orthopaedics, we focus on the smart use of these medications.
Our Physical Medicine specialists help you balance medication with other therapies to avoid long-term side effects while keeping your inflammation levels in check.
Frequently Asked Questions
Take the First Step Toward Relief at Vero Orthopaedics
You don’t have to choose between doing nothing and committing to major surgery. At Vero Orthopaedics, we specialize in the middle ground.
Whether you are looking for a non-surgical path or want to discuss if surgery has become necessary, our team is here to guide you. Schedule a consultation with an orthopaedic specialist today.
