When you suffer a severe knee injury, you may find that you will eventually need a total knee replacement.Knee replacement surgery is a major operation and can take a great deal of recovery time and effort. As such, you may not find yourself ready to undergo surgery right away. If this is the case, you will need to figure out some pain management techniques to get you by in the meantime. So, get to know your pain management options and get started feeling better as soon as possible.

Physical Therapy

When you injure your knee to the point that you need knee replacement surgery, you will inevitably need physical therapy. While the majority of your physical therapy will occur after your surgery, if you are putting off your surgery for any significant period of time, physical therapy before surgery would be helpful as well.

Strengthening the muscles around your knee joint will help protect your knee from further damage and injury. Additionally, it will actually make your recovery following surgery easier as your body will be better conditioned and prepared to recover. In particular, exercises such as squats, leg lifts, and even soothing whirlpool treatments (a hot tub for your knee) can help to relieve pain in your knee joint and strengthen the quadriceps and other thigh muscles that support your knee. 

Acupuncture

If you are looking for alternative treatment options for your knee pain management, you may want to give acupuncture a try. This ancient Chinese medicine tradition focuses on the flow of energy throughout the body.

When you suffer any injury, your energy is not in proper balance and is not flowing correctly. An acupuncturist will insert tiny needles into specific energy points throughout your body to re-balance and start the energy flowing to help heal the muscles around your knee and support the injured joint. The acupuncture points that can help with your knee pain and injury are points immediately surrounding the kneecap and behind the knee. There are also points on the palm of the hand and the back of the hand that are directly associated with the legs and knees, and can help to relieve your knee pain and discomfort.

These treatments can also help to relieve stress and anxiety you may be feeling about your injury and your upcoming surgery, helping you to relax and enjoy your life in the meantime.

Rest As Much As Possible

To keep your knee from causing you too much pain, you will want to rest it as much as possible. This means avoiding intense exercise and over-exertion of any kind.

Additionally, keep your knee elevated when seated. This will prevent blood from rushing to your knee and causing swelling or additional pain.

While your knee is elevated, you can also ice it to further reduce pain and swelling. Just do not leave the ice pack on for more than 20 minutes or you may cause yourself more trouble than good.

While you are waiting for your knee replacement surgery, there are pain management techniques you can use to keep yourself as pain-free as possible in the meantime. All you need to do is give these methods a try as soon as possible. For more information, contact Illinois Pain Institute.