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- Your knee anatomy
- Osteoarthritis self assessment
- Getting diagnosed with osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis treatment options
- More information on osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis treatment options
There is no cure for osteoarthritis; however, treatments do exist. Osteoarthritis treatment focuses on decreasing pain and improving joint movement. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American College of Rheumatology recommend a sequence of knee pain treatments, depending on the severity of pain. Because not all treatments work for all patients, make sure to discuss all options with your doctor before beginning any treatment.
- Approaches that don’t involve drugs, such as exercise, physical therapy and lifestyle modifications1
- Over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, acetaminophen, naproxen and ibuprofen1
- Topical pain-relieving creams1
- Prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as COX-2 inhibitors1
- Injections directly into the knee joint1
- Joint fluid therapy, such as SUPARTZ® Joint Fluid Therapy
- Steroids
- Opioids
If knee pain becomes too severe, knee replacement surgery may be necessary.
SUPARTZ® is a registered trademark of Seikagaku Corp
1. Knee pain: treatments and drugs. Mayo Clinic Web site. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/osteoarthritis/DS00019/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs. Accessed April 21, 2009.
2. SUPARTZ [package insert]. Memphis, TN: Smith & Nephew; 2007.
2. SUPARTZ [package insert]. Memphis, TN: Smith & Nephew; 2007.