If you're experiencing any kind of knee pain, feel crunching or hear popping or crackling sounds or have pain that is stabbing or burning, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have a long term problem and/or need surgery. Knees are injured every day and heal up well with no treatment or minor treatment or remedies and rest. And many people have arthritic knees. Of course if you're having more serious problems the thought of having to have surgery may have crossed your mind.

Again not every knee injury leads to surgery. Naturally you want to protect your knees as much as possible and try to avoid serious injury but sometimes it just happens. Whether during sports or just stepping off a step you feel serious pain in your knees.

There are a number of non-surgical remedies, treatments or solutions for pain management you can consider. Say you've injured your knee or you have an arthritic knee flare-up and it hasn't gotten better and time has passed by and you've already tried ice packs and now you're really getting concerned. Maybe you haven't been to see your doctor. But here are some possible solutions that don't involve any surgery.

First of all consider orthotics. Something as simple as arch supports that have wedges on the inner and outer part of the heel can help you shift the pressure away from the knee, especially good for osteoarthritis.

Then find out about the unloader brace. The unloader brace can help take off the pressure on your knee and is especially good for arthritis.

Consider acupuncture. Acupuncture can help relieve pain for some people but not all. The end result should be pain relief from the release of endorphins and neurotransmitters. Treatments can be expensive however and may not last. Laughing releases endorphins but you may not be able to laugh enough to help.

Decide whether using your knee or resting your knee helps to relieve the pain. Try walking a short distance and see how much you can handle.

Try to avoid taking medication unless you absolutely have to. The body can tolerate a lot of pain and there are so many side effects and risks to taking drugs that it's hard to recommend painkillers.

If you know your pain is serious or has become chronic you should make an appointment with your doctor or naturopathic doctor and get an exact diagnosis. Most minor injuries should be healed in just a few days. If you know it's getting better each day, that's a good sign. Make sure you're careful not to re-injure your knee while it's healing or soon thereafter.

Of course there are many other home remedies and treatments for knee pain you can use or do to help heal your knee faster, too many to list here. Most of all know that thousands of knees are injured every day and clear up on their own.