There are a lot of different potential causes of joint pain, although the most common is arthritis. Regardless of the reason for your joint pain, there are limited treatments available. If you have chronic joint pain that has become worse or fails to improve with diet, exercise, and over-the-counter medications, you may need to see a doctor for additional treatment. Here are some of the most common treatments for chronic joint pain.
Cortisone Shots and Steroids
A cortisone shot is a type of anti-inflammatory injection that helps minimize swelling and inflammation in the joint, while also reducing chronic joint pain. Steroids may also be prescribed during flare ups that cause worse pain than normal.
Medications
In addition to pain relieving medications, there are several pharmaceuticals on the market that treat chronic joint pain. Meloxicam is one such medication that acts as an anti-inflammatory. If your joint pain is due to arthritis, there are some medications that may help manage your symptoms and slow down the progress of joint deterioration.
Physical Therapy
Sometimes chronic joint pain is due to a weakening of one part of the joint. When that is the case, physical therapy is a great option. It may take weeks or months to improve, and you will be sore for the day of your session. But the effort is well worth it.
Surgery
Sometimes when no other treatments are working, the only option to remove chronic joint pain is with joint replacement surgery. However, this surgery comes with a long and arduous recovery with a lot of physical therapy.
Alternative Treatments
Chronic joint pain can also be treated by a few unconventional treatments. Many people have great success treating chronic pain with massage and acupuncture. You can also get treatment that will help stimulate the body’s own healing processes using stem cells and platelet rich plasma taken from your own body and injected into the affected joint.
If you are ready to try more alternative treatments for your chronic joint pain to try to avoid surgery, contact us today for more information or to schedule an appointment.