When treating knee malalignment, doctors often start with non-surgical methods. These treatments focus on reducing pain, swelling, and inflammation, while also helping the knee function better and stay stable.

Rest and Activity Modification

When your knee hurts, it’s important to rest and stay away from activities that make the pain worse. Ideally, we must do this without becoming inactive. It is crucial to continue moving and working on strength so we only want to avoid specific activities that lead to pain, not stop all activities all together.

Medications

Over-the-counter medicines like Meloxicam, Naproxen, Advil, or Ibuprofen can help with pain and swelling. Ice packs and compression can also help reduce swelling. Just make sure to put a cloth or towel between the ice pack to avoid irritation to the skin.

Physical Therapy

Working with a physical therapist can help strengthen the muscles around your knee and improve its stability. They will show you exercises to strengthen your quadriceps (front thigh), hamstrings (back thigh), gluts (butt) and calf muscles. They will also work on your hip mobility. These exercises support your knee and help it stay stable. You may also do exercises to improve your sense of where your knee is, which helps with balance and control.

Knee Braces

There are special braces that can help reduce stress on the knee. For bow-legged knees (varus alignment), a medial unloader brace helps take stress off the inside of the knee. For knock-knees (valgus alignment), a lateral unloader brace helps reduce stress on the outside of the knee. These braces provide support and can make your knee feel better while protecting it.

Injections

Sometimes, doctors use injections to reduce pain and inflammation in the knee. However, these injections are just a short-term fix and won’t heal damage or fix alignment problems. Also, if you get an injection, you’ll need to wait at least 3 months before any surgery can be considered.

These non-surgical treatments can help manage symptoms and improve knee function, but they are usually combined with other treatments or considered before any surgical options.