Knee Injection Hyaluronic Acid- What is it?

Knee osteoarthritis starts as a result of knee cartilage breaking down, thus leading to joint damage. This makes even standing difficult due to pain. If you have mild symptoms, several treatments can help you, including OTC treatments and lifestyle changes. However, over time, these treatments have reduced their effectiveness in pain management for osteoarthritis patients. Today, doctors recommend the use of stronger medications to deal with this problem once and for all. One of the popular treatments used is knee injection hyaluronic acid. This treatment is the last option before you can decide to undergo knee replacement surgery.

What is Knee Injection Hyaluronic Acid?

It’s a gel-like, naturally occurring substance used for lubricating joints. It’s also called hyaluronan. Research shows that the loss of hyaluronic acid is the primary cause of the joints wearing out. Therefore, to reverse this back, it’s essential to introduce a substance similar to the one that’s lost to reduce pain. This is where knee injection hyaluronic acid comes in. This substance has some properties, as explained below:

– Anti-inflammatory properties

Studies show that these injections have anti-inflammatory properties. They reduce inflammation and pain in the knees.

– Lubrication

This viscous substance has a lubricating effect that helps knee joints to absorb shock properly. This shock absorption reduces friction during movements. Decreased friction further reduces stiffness and pain.

– Pain-relieving properties

Knee injection hyaluronic acid prevents the movement of pain signals from the knees to the brain, thus reducing pain.

When Should You Get a Hyaluronic Acid Injection?

Most osteoarthritis patients manage knee pain using the most basic treatments like regular exercising, steroid injections, or NSAID medications. However, if all these treatments fail to give the desired results, the last option before you decide to undergo knee replacement surgery is to get hyaluronic acid injections. However, depending on your symptoms, the pain management doctor might combine two treatments, such as steroid injections with hyaluronic acid injections, for quick results. If the hyaluronic acid injections don’t work, then you can go ahead and undergo knee replacement surgery.

Does the Relief Last?

There’s no direct answer on the relief duration if you get this injection. The relief duration varies from one patient to another and also depending on the symptoms. However, according to the latest surveys carried out on osteoarthritis patients, on average, it can last between 4-6 months. After a patient gets a hyaluronic acid injection, the pain management doctor recommends immediate rest that can last between 12-24 hours. This rest is meant to eliminate injection pain and reduce the risk of moving the substance from the joint. You might engage in simple and less intensive activities only during this period. Performing intensive activities can strain the knees and flush away the hyaluronic acid.

In conclusion, if you’ve been struggling with osteoarthritis and you haven’t found relief when using the common treatments, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your doctor so that you can be diagnosed to find out if you’re a candidate for hyaluronic acid injections.