Yes, he has tried alternatives, but only spectacular, dramatic ones. There might well be more he can do–I don’t know anything about post-op incarcerated muscle treatment (indeed, I have never seen it).
Cuddy says something very similar in the Judas episode: how House holds back and is never mean just to be mean. I agree with her. He tells the truth (in an at times obnoxious way), but when I watched him in the episode The Jerk, I saw how different House is to that kid. He can be a jerk, but mostly he is just forthright to the point of discomfort (for most). Frankly, with House, you always know where you stand. That’s refreshing (to me).