It's difficult to go about your normal activities when you have constant knee pain. When every step you take is painful, you feel miserable, and you may even be unsteady and at risk of falling due to the pain. Fortunately, there are treatments that can help knee pain, whether it's caused by arthritis or a knee injury. Here are some things your doctor might recommend.

Knee Injections

Injections are often effective when it comes to knee pain treatment. Pain caused by swelling can sometimes be helped with corticosteroid injections that reduce inflammation. Hyaluronic acid injections may be recommended by your doctor if your knee pain is caused by arthritis or a loss of lubricating fluid around your knee joint. These injections have a temporary effect and may help with pain management so you can put off surgery.

Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cells can help with knee pain in some people, and your doctor may discuss this form of treatment with you. Donor cells can be used, or you can have your own stem cells used for the procedure. Your stem cells are collected, prepared, and then injected into your knee. This may help reduce inflammation, slow down the deterioration associated with arthritis, and relieve pain.

PRP Therapy

PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is another knee pain treatment your doctor might consider. This therapy involves drawing your blood and placing it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets and plasma from the blood cells. The platelet-rich plasma that's obtained contains growth factors that could help treat knee deterioration and reduce pain. You may notice gradual improvement in your knee pain for several months following PRP therapy.

Knee Surgery

When your knee has severe damage, your doctor may discuss surgical options with you. If knee pain treatments are effective, you might be able to avoid surgery, but when pain treatments don't help, then surgery could be the best way to eliminate your pain. This can be done with a partial or total knee replacement. Your damaged knee tissues are removed and replaced with an artificial joint so you no longer have pain, and you can resume many of your normal activities once you've recovered from the surgery.

In addition to these treatments, your doctor may make lifestyle recommendations that include losing weight and getting the right amount of exercise. You may need to rest and elevate your knee occasionally to help with pain, but too much inactivity might put your knee at risk of further injury. Physical therapy treatments may be needed to help strengthen your knee so you can stay active while dealing with your knee pain.