Treatment and medication Treatment may vary, depending on the specific cause of the knee pain. Medications Your doctor may prescribe medications to help relieve the pain and treat an underlying condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout. Treatment Strengthening the muscles around the knee joint will make it more stable. Exercises target the muscles in the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and the muscles in the back of the thigh (posterior femoral group). Exercises to improve balance are also important. Arch supports, sometimes using a wedge support on the side of the heel, help to reduce the pressure on the side of the knee most affected by osteoarthritis. In some diseases, different types of braces may be used to help protect and support the knee. Medication injections Sometimes, your doctor may recommend injecting medications directly into the joint. For example: 1. Glucocorticoids: Injecting glucocorticoid medications into the knee joint may help reduce the symptoms of an arthritic flare-up and relieve pain for several months. Injected medications are not effective in all patients and carry a small risk of infection; 2. Adjuvant lubricant: This is a viscous fluid, similar to the lubricating fluid naturally found in the joint, that can be injected into the knee joint to improve joint mobility and relieve pain. Relief can last up to 6 months to 1 year after one or more injections. Surgery If you have an injury to the knee that requires surgical treatment, you usually do not need to undergo surgery immediately. Consider the pros and cons of non-surgical rehabilitation and surgical repair in conjunction with the areas of greatest concern to you before making any decisions. If you choose to undergo surgery, options include: 1. Arthroscopic surgery: Depending on the injury, your doctor may be able to examine and repair the joint injury through a number of small incisions around the knee joint with the help of a fiberoptic camera and thin instruments. Arthroscopy can be used to remove free bodies from the knee, remove or repair damaged cartilage, and reconstruct torn ligaments. 2. Partial knee replacement: In this procedure (unicondylar replacement), the surgeon applies a metal and plastic prosthesis to replace only the most severely damaged part of the knee. The surgery can often be done with a small incision and usually requires only an overnight stay in the hospital. Recovery is also much faster than with a total knee replacement; 3. Total knee replacement: In this procedure, the surgeon removes the damaged portion of the femur, tibia and patella and replaces it with an artificial joint made of metal alloys, high-grade plastics and polymers.