Alternatives

Common alternatives to a knee replacement

There are other treatments that may be tried before having a knee replacement, as well as other types of surgery that may help.

Treatments that may be tried first

Before having a knee replacement, your doctor will talk to you about non-surgical treatments to help with your knee pain.

These may include lifestyle changes and some types of pain relief, such as:

weight loss to reduce the strain on your knee if you're overweight
low-impact exercise such as swimming, walking or cycling, and muscle strengthening in the knee - a physiotherapist may advise and support you with exercising
using walking aids
wearing special footwear or insoles for your shoes
pain relief medicines, gels or creams
hydrocortisone (steroid) injections - an injection into the knee joint to help with pain and swelling

If you've tried these and they have not helped, your doctor may talk to you about surgery to repair or strengthen the knee, or having a knee replacement.

Other types of surgery

Your doctor may talk to you about other types of surgery that do not involve a knee replacement if these are an option for you.

These are not suitable for everyone, but might include:

arthroscopy - where fluid is flushed into the knee joint to clear out any loose bone and cartilage
osteotomy - where the shape of your shin bone is changed to reduce pressure on the worn or damaged part of your knee
microfracture - where small holes are made in the surface of the bone to help new cartilage grow
scaffold insertion - where a patch or gel is put in the knee to help new cartilage grow

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