Non-Surgical Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment: Choosing Medication May Lead to Future Side Effects

Taking medication for osteoarthritis for a long time puts the body at risk of suffering without realizing it.

Medications used to treat osteoarthritis do not address the root cause but rather treat the symptoms. These medications are used to ‘treat pain and inflammation’ only. When osteoarthritis occurs, pain and inflammation can result from the wear and tear of the cartilage on the joint surface. When there is movement, the cartilage surfaces rub against each other, leading to injury. The tissues around the knee become inflamed, resulting in pain.

Therefore, the medication taken does not help treat the degeneration of the knee joint, but only “relieves the pain from the degeneration”. Prolonged use of these anti-inflammatory pain relievers can pose risks to the body. For example, they may impair kidney function, making it more susceptible to kidney deterioration, or they may cause stomach irritation, abdominal pain, digestive system disturbances, and even gastrointestinal bleeding.

Knee replacement surgery might be more worthwhile than continuing long-term medication treatment.

In terms of treatment costs, many might view surgery as more expensive. However, in the reality of osteoarthritis, if the condition becomes so severe that one ‘cannot stop taking medication,’ patients must take medication to control symptoms for life. If they stop, the pain returns. The cost of the necessary medication could be comparable to the cost of surgical treatment.

But the important thing is that if medication causes severe side effects on the body, such as gastrointestinal bleeding requiring endoscopic treatment, or kidney deterioration leading to kidney failure, etc., the costs for treating these side effects are immeasurable and uncontrollable. The negative impacts on the body can be diverse.

Therefore, knee replacement surgery might be more cost-effective than continuing medication treatment for patients with severe osteoarthritis. In terms of treatment practice, all patients receive non-surgical care first, or treatment according to the severity of the disease. This starts with lifestyle changes, avoiding activities that impact the knees, such as squatting, lifting heavy objects, and excessive stair climbing, along with medication, warm compresses, and physical therapy. However, when symptoms become more severe and other treatments are no longer effective, surgery is an option to consider to improve the quality of life.

If you experience these severe symptoms, knee replacement surgery should be considered.

In the process of treating osteoarthritis, doctors will choose the appropriate method based on the severity of the symptoms the patient is experiencing. Therefore, to decide whether to undergo surgery or not, we can assess based on the symptoms. If the following severe symptoms are found, knee replacement surgery is a solution that should not be overlooked.

Severe Knee Pain

If you experience severe knee pain that requires taking large amounts of pain relievers frequently and continuously, and you can’t stop taking the medication because the pain returns when you do, and you need to use pain relievers regularly to control the symptoms, these situations indicate that it’s time to consider knee replacement surgery. This will help restore a normal life and avoid the risks of side effects from prolonged medication use in the future.

Deformity of the Knee Joint

When osteoarthritis occurs, the inner or outer joint space narrows, and bone spurs develop around the joint surface, leading to deformity. This can manifest as bow-leggedness, limited ability to bend or straighten the knee fully, or knee stiffness. These symptoms cannot be corrected with medication and require surgical treatment.

Deformed knee, severe pain, making life difficult

If the pain and deformity of the knee do not affect the patient’s daily life, meaning they have family members to help and do not need to go out or handle things themselves, the necessity for surgery can be postponed. However, for patients whose pain and knee deformity interfere with their lives, making it difficult to walk, move, or perform activities, and who have no one to care for them, considering knee replacement surgery is a good solution. It will help them return to a normal, happy life with improved quality of life.

Knee replacement surgery is not as scary as you might think

In any surgery, whether it’s knee surgery or other types of surgery, there are always risks. These risks can be divided into two types: patient-related risks, such as underlying health conditions that may cause side effects during surgery, and surgical risks. In the case of knee replacement surgery, these include the tearing of ligaments, injury to nerves, and blood vessels around the bone and joint.

Nowadays, with advanced medical technology, expertise, and the experience of doctors, the risks of surgery can be significantly reduced. In terms of patient-related risks, knee replacement surgery is not an emergency procedure, doctors can plan and prepare the patient’s body for surgery. If the body is not ready, they can wait or treat other illnesses until the patient is ready and then schedule the surgery. For this reason, knee replacement surgery today is not as scary as one might think. It is safe and has a high success rate, allowing patients to regain strong, pain-free knees and enjoy a normal, happy life again after surgery.

The degeneration of the knee will not change but will gradually worsen over time. Medication treatment only helps to delay the symptoms caused by the degeneration. Therefore, if osteoarthritis symptoms are severe enough to interfere with daily life, one should not let the pain from the problematic knee reduce the quality and happiness of life. It can cause us to miss the opportunity to use our knees for various activities that bring joy to life. Opting for knee replacement surgery is a good solution that modern medical technology can help achieve successfully, without being as scary as many people think.

Article By Napon Sinthuvanich, M.D.Hip and Knee Replacement Surgeon