Hyaluronic Acid Injections for Painful Knee Joints

Who are the best candidates for hyaluronic acid knee injections?

hyaluronic acid knee injections are an innovative treatment option that is been found to be effective in lessening knee pain in people who suffer from osteoarthritis and have exhausted all other treatment options.  Patients who have had no luck with osteoarthritis medication, Therapies, and are not able to pursue surgical options or have had poor surgical Outcomes, are great candidates for this non-invasive treatment. Gel knee injections have been a wonderful way to manage the pain of osteoarthritis in patients who  have given up hope of finding a treatment that is effective.

Replacing Joint Fluid

Hyaluronic acid injections are subdermal shots directly into the knee capsule that are meant to mimic the naturally occurring fluid in the knee joint. As the body ages, the Synovial fluid, otherwise referred to as joint fluid, begins to lessen. The viscous fluid is key to keeping our joints well-lubricated and fully functional. People who have greatly depleted synovial fluid have increased joint pain and decreased range of motion in their limbs. There are several factors that can increase the rate at which your joint fluid dries up. These include:

• Obesity
• Knee trauma or surgery
• Career or hobby that requires continual flexion or weight on the knee joint, i.e. runners, horseriding, landscaping career
• Chronic illnesses like diabetes, rheumatism, and arthritis

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While the depletion of synovial fluid is only part of the lubrication and cushioning structures in the knee joint, its Importance in the knee joint’s ability to function correctly cannot be understated. This is why doctors and medical researchers have strived for decades to produce a synthetic replacement for joint fluid. It is incredibly difficult to reproduce due to it having aspects of a non-Newtonian fluid. After years of study, hyaluronic acid was found to be a close substitution for  synovial fluid. Hyaluronic acid is both a non-Newtonian fluid as well as naturally occurring in areas of the body that require hydration and lubrication such as the surface of the eyeball.

How do the injections work?

The medical term for hyaluronic acid injections is viscosupplementation. Despite being a slightly intimidating term, the injections themselves are a fairly straightforward process. First, the doctor will determine if there is excess information fluid that needs to be drained from the joint area. Next, the doctor will use an x-ray to see where the knee joint capsule is located. Once the doctor is sure of the precise location of the knee joint capsule they will inject the hyaluronic acid shell into the space where joint fluid is missing.

The whole process doesn’t take very long and is considered an outpatient procedure. occasionally oh, if the pain of the injections is heightened or unbearable a local anesthetic will be applied before additional injections. Depending on the severity of the osteoarthritis, the entire procedure may be repeated up to five times per treatment, with usually a week between each injection.

Hyaluronic Acid Injection Aftercare

Hyaluronic acid gel injections for knee pain are an outpatient procedure and therefore the recovery time for each injection is Berry Creek, usually 24 to 72 hours. however immediately following the procedure there may be some swelling, tenderness at the site of the injection, and bruising around the injection site.  each person will respond to this treatment differently but most people begin to feel significant decreases in the amount of knee joint-related pain in 4 to 6 weeks.  Outcomes do depend on the severity of the Osteo arthritis and the number of rounds of injections you are doctor thinks you require.

Do you think hyaluronic acid injections are right for you?

If you are suffering from osteoarthritis with significant pain in your knee joints, and have exhausted all traditional methods of pain relief, then hyaluronic acid gel injections could be for you.  Contact us HERE for more information about hyaluronic acid injections for osteoarthritis knee pain and how we can help.