There are a lot of ways to deal with knee pain. And first, it helps to know what you have and what the future looks like, with PT, with or without surgery, and on. A good Dr can spell out those options for you. If the Dr wants to jump right to surgery, get another opinion before committing.

In my case, and with advanced osteoarthritis is both knees at age 68, I needed replacements. But I ran over 20 marathons on the old knees, and only required the replacements 20 plus years since I last ran. Now I feel great with the new knees, but running is still over.

PT and working with a trainer have helped me immensely. Best wishes for you!