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Knee pain is one of the most common pain-related complaints in the United States and worldwide. According to a 2023 Journal of the American Medical Association review, about 5% of primary care visits by adults are at least partly because of knee pain.

Your knee joint health is important to your overall health. Acute and chronic knee pain can make it hard to exercise or do routine activities around the house. Severe pain can feel debilitating and affect your overall quality of life.

However, there are steps you can take to prevent, manage, or treat knee pain. From home remedies for knee pain to professional treatment options, here’s what you can do for your knee health.

What Are Common Causes of Knee Pain?

The knee is a complex joint, made up of various structures — bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, and more. Many different conditions can cause joint pain and inflammation, including:

• Acute or overuse injury (sprains and strains, tendonitis, ligament tears, and more).
• Bursitis.
• Gout.
• Hemarthrosis (abnormal bleeding into the joint).
• Obesity.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Structural problems.

How Is Knee Pain Treated?

The treatment for knee pain depends on the specific cause. You can often manage minor knee pain at home. However, severe or chronic knee pain typically requires evaluation and treatment by a medical professional (or professionals).

Home remedies for knee pain

Often, you can manage knee pain at home by trying one or all of the following.

The RICE method

The RICE method is a common home treatment option for acute, inflammatory knee pain. RICE stands for:

• Rest — Avoid weight-bearing on your knee for at least 24 to 48 hours to avoid putting stress on it.
• Ice — Use an ice pack on your knee for 20 minutes every four hours or so. (If you don’t have an ice pack handy, a bag of frozen vegetables can do the trick.) Wrap the ice pack in a towel instead of applying it directly to your skin. Avoid icing for longer than 20 minutes to prevent tissue damage.
• Compression — Use an elastic bandage to wrap your knee, making sure to wrap both above and below the joint. The wrap should feel snug but not overly tight. Wrapping it too tightly can affect your blood circulation.
• Elevation — Elevate your injured knee above your heart to prevent fluids from accumulating in the joint.

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can limit the effects of minor knee pain and inflammation. Examples include:

• Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol®).
• Aspirin (such as Bayer®).
• Ibuprofen (such as Advil® or Motrin®).
• Naproxen (such as Aleve®).

Some individuals with existing medical conditions, such as those on blood thinners, should avoid NSAIDs. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Heat therapy

Though ice is a typical therapy for knee pain, heat can also help. Heat therapy — through a hot pack, heating pad, warm bath, or some other approach — can improve blood circulation and relieve pain.

Ice is typically preferable for a knee that’s painful, swollen, red, and warm to the touch. Those are signs of inflammation.

When should I see a doctor about knee pain?

Contact a doctor if:

• Your knee pain and swelling don’t go away within a few days.
• Your knee pain interferes with routine activities.
• Your symptoms are severe or worsening.

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical examination. They may order imaging tests such as an x-ray, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, or computed tomography (CT) scan.

Depending on the cause of your pain, your primary care doctor may refer you to a specialist in rheumatology, orthopaedics, sports medicine, and/or physical therapy.

Medical treatments for knee pain

The treatment you get for knee pain depends on factors like the cause, your symptoms, and your medical history. It can range from prescription medications to physical therapy and surgery.

Medications

If OTC pain relievers aren’t helping your pain, your doctor may prescribe something stronger. Medications may also help treat conditions that are causing your knee pain.

Pain injections

Intra-articular injections are another potential pain relief strategy for knee pain. Injections are a possible option for temporary relief of knee pain, though there isn’t much solid evidence that they’re effective. Injections go directly into the knee joint. The most common pain-relieving knee injections are corticosteroids, but hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are also options.

Knee brace

Your doctor may recommend that you wear a knee brace to stabilize your knee and reduce your pain. Different knee braces can support the many different structures of the knee. Some people may only need to wear the brace for a short time, while others may need to wear it all the time or when doing certain activities.

Physical therapy for knees

Whether your knee pain is from an acute injury or a chronic condition like osteoarthritis, your doctor may recommend physical therapy.

A licensed physical therapist can help you with balance, flexibility, and strengthening exercises that will help with your knee pain. They can also provide you with tips on the best home exercises for knee pain.

For acute injuries, physical therapy can help you overcome the injury and return to normal activity. It can also provide guidance on how to strengthen your knees to avoid a future injury.

Physical therapy routines for knee arthritis and other chronic conditions can help you better manage the daily aches and pains. They can also help you move better.

Surgery for knee pain

If conservative treatment options don’t solve your knee pain, if the pain is severe, or if there’s structural damage to the knee, you may need surgery.

The type of surgery you need depends on the specific cause of your knee pain. For example:

• Arthroscopic surgery — A minimally invasive procedure to fix ligament tears and other problems in the knee joint.
• Knee replacement — Knee replacement involves replacing a damaged joint with an artificial one. There are partial knee replacements, which replace only part of the joint, and total knee replacements, which replace the entire joint.
• Osteotomy — A procedure involving the cutting of a bone to fix the alignment in the knee. This procedure can happen with others to address cartilage issues, patellar instability, and more. It’s often most effective for younger people.

Often, if you get surgery, you’ll follow it up with physical therapy to help you regain strength, balance, and flexibility.

What Are Lifestyle Tips to Prevent and Manage Knee Pain?

There are ways to relieve knee pain without medication or other medical interventions. Lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise can help you manage knee pain or potentially prevent it altogether.

Here are some tips for preventing or managing chronic pain naturally:

• Diet — A healthy diet can prevent conditions like obesity, which puts increased pressure on joints and is a risk factor for joint pain. A diet that’s heavy on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy and light on added sugars, saturated fats, and trans fats is better for your joints. Following an anti-inflammatory lifestyle is also beneficial. Foods that help reduce knee inflammation include high-fiber fruits and veggies, seafood with omega-3 fatty acids, legumes, and some nuts and seeds.
• Exercise — Exercise is good in general. It can boost your overall health, help you manage your weight, and help you prevent knee pain as you age. Avoiding overtraining is crucial for knee injury prevention. Build up your workouts slowly and make sure not to forget about rest days. If you have chronic pain from osteoarthritis, low-impact exercises such as swimming or walking are good for your joints.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on August 18, 2025, and was last reviewed on October 22, 2025.