How Viscosupplementation Can Help Rid Knee Pain for Good

Osteoarthritis of the knee, also known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, is a leading cause of disability in the United States and causes the most common type of arthritis pain, as the knee is one of the first joints in the body to begin to wear out due to its extensive daily use over many years. The condition progresses slowly, and the resulting pain gets gradually worse with time.

The pain and loss of mobility caused by this common knee condition can sometimes be debilitating. Although no known cure for osteoarthritis currently exists, many treatment alternatives can be applied to help people manage their pain and continue pursuing an active lifestyle.

The Nature of Osteoarthritis

The bones that make up your joints normally possess a cap of cartilage on their ends that helps to ensure the bones are able to move smoothly against each other. This cartilage has a coating that contains a thick gel-like substance called hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the synovial fluid that surrounds the joints, and besides acting as a lubricant, it also functions as a shock absorber when force is applied to weight-bearing or load-bearing joints during physical activity. In osteoarthritis, this cartilage cap breaks down, and when this occurs, the bones of your joints scrape against each other in an abnormal way, causing pain and discomfort.

People with osteoarthritis usually have less hyaluronic acid than needed for their joints to function properly, thus producing symptoms such as pain, stiffness, and swelling. The concept behind the therapy known as Viscosupplementation is that restoring the hyaluronic acid to a normal level in an arthritic joint may help to lessen these symptoms and allow a person to live a more pain-free and active life.

Non-surgical Osteoarthritis Treatments

Early on, osteoarthritis of the knees is treated with an array of common non-surgical techniques. Your doctor may advise that one or more of  these other approaches be used in addition to receiving Viscosupplementation in order to maximize the treatment’s effectiveness and produce the optimum results possible when receiving your knee therapy. These common techniques include the following:

• Changes in your activity levels – More activity to lessen stiffness and increase core body strength or less activity to avoid the chance of further injury
• A weight-loss regime – carrying excess weight puts a great deal of stress on the body and losing as little as 10-20 pounds can be of great help
• Use of pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) – Over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory meds are typically attempted before high-dose prescription drugs are employed
• Physical therapy programs – Increasing your strength and mobility can be highly beneficial in reducing the pain of osteoarthritis and in learning how to move and sit properly
• Corticosteroid injections – These types of injections are highly targeted to the source of pain and function as a way to alleviate your pain long enough for other treatments to begin taking effect

The Value of Viscosupplementation as a Treatment

Another treatment approach is the above-mentioned Viscosupplementation, in which a thick fluid is injected into the affected knee joints. If all other nonsurgical approaches to treatment have been unsuccessful and knee pain continues to cause suffering and restrict your activities, Viscosupplementation may be a viable alternative in your case.

Viscosupplementation is one of the most recent and most beneficial treatment options available for people who experience chronic or severe osteoarthritis of the knees. Viscosupplementation has been shown to have these beneficial effects:

• Helps to lessen the inflammation and pain resulting from osteoarthritis
• Improves mobility in the knees
• Strengthens the affected joints
• Reduces pain
• Promotes the growth of new cells and healthier tissue
• Enhances long-term health and wellness in the knee area.

Viscosupplementation can be performed on one or more joints, for instance, both knees at the same time.

As mentioned, in this procedure a fluid, known as hyaluronic acid, is injected into the joints to restore the chemical to its natural level. People with osteoarthritis have lower-than-normal amounts of hyaluronic acid in their joints, so adding hyaluronic acid to the arthritic joints can make movement easier and significantly reduce pain. Several formulations of hyaluronic acid are now available on the market.

Surgery can assist in advanced cases of osteoarthritis, but when the condition is caught early enough, treatment with Viscosupplementation can help to restore normal use of the knees and reduce pain so that you can get back to living your life without distress or restrictions.