Symptoms
Pain in the knee joint during or after movement | Joint stiffness worse in the mornings or inactivity | Tenderness | Loss of flexibility | Grating sensation | Bone spurs | Swelling
Understanding Knee Pain
Knee pain is a common problem that affects millions of Americans, particularly those with osteoarthritis. As the protective cartilage in your knee wears down over time, the bones begin to rub against each other, causing inflammation, stiffness, and pain. This chronic inflammation can also lead to the development of abnormal blood vessels in the lining of your knee joint, further exacerbating your pain.
Traditional treatments for knee pain, such as physical therapy, pain medication, and steroid injections, often provide only temporary relief. While knee replacement surgery can be effective, it’s a major operation that requires extensive recovery time. GAE offers a minimally invasive alternative that targets the root cause of your pain without the need for surgery.
Is Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) Right for You?
If you’re suffering from chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis and physical therapy, medications, or injections haven’t provided adequate relief, it may be time to consider Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE). This innovative, minimally invasive procedure targets the blood vessels that contribute to inflammation in the knee, potentially reducing pain and improving mobility without surgery.
Treatment Options
Treatment options include pain medicines, steroid injections, physical therapy, surgery, and Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE). Physical therapy is the standard treatment for knee pain. Because of opioid dependence and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) toxicity with prolonged use, patients often do not want to rely on long-term medication therapy options. Steroid injections can provide temporary relief for months. For those patients not ready for a major surgery like knee replacement, GAE is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that can offer longer term pain relief and decrease pain medication or injection needs.
Procedure
GAE targets the root cause of your knee pain: abnormally inflamed blood vessels caused by osteoarthritis. These vessels are responsible for the synovial angiogenesis, a process that creates new, pain-sensitive blood vessels in the lining of your knee joint.
During the GAE procedure, your interventional radiologist will use advanced imaging technology to visualize these abnormal vessels. They will then insert a tiny catheter into your knee and inject microscopic particles, about the size of a grain of sand, directly into the inflamed vessels. These particles block the blood flow to the abnormal vessels, reducing inflammation and pain, without compromising the overall blood supply to your knee and lower leg.
By selectively targeting only the abnormal blood vessels, GAE preserves the healthy tissue in your knee, allowing for a quicker recovery and reducing the risk of complications.
What to Expect on Treatment Day
GAE is a minimally invasive procedure to slow blood flow to abnormally inflamed blood vessels of the knee from osteoarthritis (OA). The inflammation causes pain related to synovial angiogenesis, the formation of new arteries in the lining of the knee. By blocking the blood flow, the inflammation is reduced and 90% of patients demonstrate improvement in their knee pain.
Our skilled interventional radiologists perform GAE in our state-of-the-art outpatient clinic. You'll receive moderate sedation to ensure your comfort throughout the procedure. Using x-ray guidance, your doctor will:
- Numb the area around your knee with a local anesthetic
- Insert a small catheter through a tiny needle stick into the affected knee arteries
- Inject a medical contrast dye to pinpoint the abnormal vessels
- Deploy tiny particles to precisely block the inflamed capillaries
The entire procedure typically takes less than an hour, and most patients are discharged just a few hours later. You may experience some mild discomfort or bruising at the injection site, but this usually resolves within a few days.
Recovery and Results
One of the major benefits of GAE is the quick recovery time. Most patients are able to return to their normal activities within a day or two of the procedure. You may begin to notice improvements in your knee pain within the first few days, with continued relief over the following weeks as the inflammation subsides.
Clinical studies have shown that GAE can provide significant pain relief for up to 90% of patients, with many experiencing a reduction in their pain levels by 50% or more. These results are often long-lasting, with some patients reporting continued relief for several years after the procedure.
GAE can also be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as physical therapy or viscosupplementation injections, to provide a comprehensive approach to managing your knee pain. By reducing inflammation and pain, GAE can help you engage more effectively in physical therapy exercises, further improving your knee function and quality of life.
Discover the Life-Changing Power of GAE for Knee Pain Relief
If you're tired of living with knee pain and want a solution that offers lasting relief without the need for surgery, GAE may be the answer. Our compassionate team at VIP is here to help you every step of the way.
Take the first step towards a pain-free life today. Schedule your no-obligation, no-charge screening to find out if GAE is right for you. During your screening, our knowledgeable staff will:
- Review your medical history and current symptoms
- Discuss your treatment goals and concerns
- Evaluate your imaging results to determine if you're a candidate for GAE
- Answer any questions you may have about the procedure and recovery process
Call us at 317-328-7255 or click the schedule button below to get started. Don't wait another day to reclaim a life free from the limitations of knee pain.