- Arthritic knee joint pain often can be treated successfully with the use of pain medication, especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain medication, or NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen. This type of medication helps to reduce knee joint inflammation and swelling, which helps to reduce pain.
- Applying an ice pack or cold compress to a painful, arthritic knee joint flare-up is an effective pain-relieving treatment option. Ice treatment helps to shrink swollen, inflamed knee joint tissues and reduce pain levels.
- Heat can be used to effectively treat knee arthritis joint pain and increase knee joint function. The application of heat can be done with a heating pad. This helps to increase blood flow, which helps reduce pain and improve mobility.
- To treat more severe cases, injecting small amounts of pain-relieving medication directly into a painful knee joint can offer effective pain relief. These injections normally involve small amounts of cortisone, an anti-inflammatory agent.
- For severely arthritic, painful knee joints, total knee replacement surgery is an effective treatment option that can drastically reduce knee joint pain and improve knee joint function.
