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Injections

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lew82832
lew82832

what are best injections for knee pain ?

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  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX lew82832

    Posted

    The following only refers to patients whose pain is caused by osteoarthritis of the knee with or without experiencing a bone-on-bone condition. Knee pain caused by other conditions (meniscus, ACL, MCL, etc.) is not addressed here.

    Orthopedic surgeons will always start out with steroid shots (ex: cortisone). If you are a diabetic, watch out. Steroids can make your blood sugars go waaaay over 400. You will likely need extra insulin and frequent blood sugar monitoring. Docs will not give you more than three shots in a year or anymore if it's not being effective.

    In that case, the next level up is a hyaluronic acid such as SynVisc. This, in simple terms, "oils up" the knee compartment. There are one shot protocols that could last up to six months or three shots that may last a year. This is a 50-50 proposition as not everyone gets relief using this modality. Gotta try it to see. Personally, this was very effective in my case for many years (11 months per three shots) until I moved to a waaaay warmer climate and didn't need them anymore.

    When you've outgrown the above treatments and your ortho wants to do a TKR, pause......... There is one last option to consider called COOLIEF. This is an FDA-approved, 15-minute, under sedation procedure for osteoartritis of knees, hips, shoulders and elbows. It is technically referred to as "Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation" in which a portion of nerve tissue is destroyed or disturbed ("ablated") to cause an interruption in pain signals to the brain and reduce pain in that area. This modality seems to have a pretty good success rate and can last for up to two years with most patients reporting around one year of pain relief. In such a case, the procedure can be repeated. Check the website to find a certified doc near you.

    The last stop on this train is TKRVille...don't really wanna go there if you don't have to. For some, it's their only choice when instability and pain cannot be mitigated any other way. Tough, painful op with a year-long recovery time.

    Hope this was helpful.

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