Knee pain seriously interferes with your ability to do the activities you enjoy and can even make daily events, like getting out of the car or climbing stairs, seem impossible. Kokoro Health & Wellness has a patented Advanced Arthritis Relief Protocol (AARP), a Non-surgical treatment of Hyaluronic Injection also called Viscosupplementation combined with Physical Therapy.
When should I seek a doctor’s help for knee pain?
Knee pain is not just an inevitable side effect of getting older. It’s a very real pain condition that deserves care and resolution.
When knee pain starts to interfere with your day-to-day work and leisure activities, it’s time to seek an evaluation at Kokoro Health & Wellness.
You should also be concerned about knee pain that’s accompanied by:
The knee is a complicated joint, and pain may indicate problems with connective tissue, bones, or muscles. Pain can occur in the front, back, and side of the joint.
What is viscosupplementation treatment for arthritis?
During viscosupplementation treatment for arthritis, your healthcare provider injects hyaluronic acid into your joint. This thick fluid may help reduce pain and swelling in your arthritic joint (most commonly, your knee).
The bones that make up your joints usually have a cap of cartilage on their ends. This cartilage helps make sure that your bones move smoothly against each other. This cartilage has a fluid coating that contains hyaluronic acid. This works like a lubricant and shock absorber in your joint.
In osteoarthritis (“wear-and-tear” arthritis), this cartilage cap breaks down. When this happens, the bones of your joint scrape together abnormally. People with osteoarthritis generally have less hyaluronic acid in their joints than they should. All of this causes symptoms like pain, stiffness, and swelling. The idea behind viscosupplementation is that replacing this hyaluronic acid may help reduce symptoms.
Your healthcare provider may first inject a numbing medicine into the space around your knee joint and possibly drain any fluid that is causing the joint to swell. Then, your healthcare provider will inject hyaluronic acid into the space inside your joint. You shouldn’t expect this to reduce your pain right away. After the full course of treatment, though, you may notice some pain relief.
Why might I need viscosupplementation treatment for arthritis?
You may have already tried other treatments for your arthritis, like over-the-counter pain medicines and corticosteroid injections. If you still have significant symptoms, viscosupplementation might be a good choice to help reduce your pain, stiffness, and swelling. The treatment seems to work best in people with mild or moderate arthritis. The treatment may particularly make sense if you are trying to delay getting surgery on your joint.
Generally, healthcare providers use viscosupplementation to treat osteoarthritis, but the technique may also benefit people with certain other kinds of arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis. You can talk to your healthcare provider about whether it is a choice for your type of arthritis.
Hyaluronic acid injection is not a treatment choice for arthritis in all types of joints. The knee is the standard injection site, but you might also be able to get it for arthritis in your hip or possibly in another location.
What happens after viscosupplementation treatment for arthritis?
You should be able to go home shortly after your procedure. Ask your healthcare provider if it is OK for you to drive. For about 48 hours, you should avoid standing for long periods, excessive walking, jogging, or lifting heavy weights.
Some people have slight pain, warmth, and swelling right after their procedure. These symptoms usually don’t last long. Using an ice pack may help. Tell your healthcare provider right away if these symptoms don’t go away soon, or if you have severe warmth, redness, pain, or high fever. Follow all your healthcare provider’s instructions about medicines and follow-up care.
Make sure to keep all of your future appointments. The procedure may not work effectively if you do not receive the full series of injections.
You should not expect your hyaluronic acid injection to relieve your symptoms immediately. It may take several weeks before you begin to notice a difference. Your relief from symptoms may last for several months.
If viscosupplementation is effective for you, you may be able to repeat the injection (or series of injections) in 6 months or so. The procedure doesn’t help everyone, though. If the procedure doesn’t work for you, continue to talk to your healthcare provider about other treatment choices, like joint surgery.
Kokoro Health & Wellness offers viscosupplementation consultation & treatment at our Dallas Location.
Source: John Hopkins University Hospital
