Heat and Ice

• Keep your knee elevated and alternate between heat and ice treatment. These two treatments will reduce the inflammation and the pain that results. Painful joints are often stiff, and treating with heat and ice will help to loosen up the joint. Use a heating pad and ice pack to alternate your treatment.
  When the inflammation is reduced, begin to strengthen the leg muscles around the joint to provide support and prevent another attack of bursitis.
  
  

Pain Medication

• Use over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Advil and Motrin to reduce the inflammation and pain of bursitis. These drugs are very effective for moderate bursitis pain. When the pain is severe, ask your doctor for prescription-strength anti-inflammatory medications to handle the pain. These medications can make it possible for you to regain motion in your injured knee. Use caution when using these medications over a long period. The prolonged use of NSAIDs can increase your risk of heart attack and bleeding in the stomach.
  
  

Corticosteroids

• Corticosteroids can offer pain relief when other methods fail. Ask for this treatment when you are not experiencing pain relief with NSAIDs or heat and ice treatment. Corticosteroids are usually reserved for those who are not able to reduce inflammation through other methods.
  
  

Alternative Remedies

• Your pain may be relieved with alternative medicine treatments. Acupuncture can be used with or without herbs to treat bursitis of the knee pain. Always discuss your use of alternative medicine practices with your doctor before beginning any treatment that uses herbs.
  Acupuncture and herbal remedies offer relief from the pain by reducing inflammation in the knee joint. Herbal plasters are pastes made of medicinal herbs and applied to the affected area. There has not been enough study on the use of herbs to treat knee bursitis.
  Use alternative medicine as a complementary treatment to the remedies you are receiving from your doctor.
  
  

Surgery

• Surgery for bursitis is very rare. The procedure involves removing the bursa from the knee joint.