They creak, they crunch, they catch. But mostly they hurt. Every year, about 800,000 of us have such bad knees that we have them surgically replaced.

That number has been growing. And with a quickly aging population, that trend is expected to continue.

The process of acquiring a new knee is far from simple.

It can take a year to recover. Infection is a worry. And replacement knees don’t last forever, which is why some doctors advise patients to manage their pain as long as possible before opting for surgery.

If you are among the 11% of the U.S. adult population who suffer from knee osteoarthritis, there are some new alternatives on the horizon.

Surgical knee denervation [den-er-vay-shun] is an outpatient procedure. Doctors make a one-inch incision on either side of the knee and use a tiny camera to find the four nerves that send pain signals from the knee. They sever the nerves and reattach them to leg muscles. The process tricks the nerves into acting like motor nerves, so they no longer transmit pain signals.

Radiofrequency ablation [uh-blay-shun] uses radio waves to destroy nerves that send pain signals from the knee. The nerves eventually grow back but patients report relief that lasts up to a year.

Genicular [gin-ick-u-ler] artery embolization uses an injection to block abnormal vessels in the knee that cause pain and inflammation.

Hydrogels and pieces of coral are still being tinkered with to repair damaged knee joints.

None of these newer techniques are in common use yet. And they may or may not be covered by medical insurance.

But if you’re one who dreads standing up after a long sit, it’s good to know new options are on the way.