The knee is one of the joints that often suffers from cartilage wear. Cartilage is the tissue that covers the bones of the knee and provides smooth and painless gliding. As the cartilage begins to wear down, bouts of pain and swelling in the knee can begin. Synonyms for knee cartilage wear are: arthrosis, arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis, gonarthrosis, chondromalacia. In the early stages it is possible joint treatment without surgery however, when the joint wears out completely, the only way to improve the quality of life is through knee replacement surgery. Let's take a look at these two treatments below.
Knee replacement surgery (prosthetics)
When cartilage wear is severe, the patient may need knee replacement surgery. A knee prosthesis is a replacement of a natural joint with an artificial one. However, there are many patients who have some degree of cartilage wear but are not advanced enough to be treated as invasively as a prosthesis.
In addition, there are patients who are unwilling or unable to undergo knee replacement surgery due to clinical issues (heart disease, diabetes, etc.) and due to the risks associated with the surgical procedure.
Non-surgical treatment of arthrosis and arthritis of the knee joint
Non-surgical therapy aims to satisfy precisely those patients who still have some degree of cartilage or who are unwilling or unable to perform surgery.
- Treatment with ultrasound guidance
The therapy is carried out by injections of the knee, guided by images from an ultrasound device specialized for this procedure. When the application is carried out with the help of ultrasound, the effectiveness is greatly increased, since we are sure that the therapy is carried out as close as possible to the cartilage lesion. The number of applications, type and interval depend on each case. Applications are performed under local anesthesia for maximum patient comfort.
- Hyaluronic acid injections
This is a treatment used to replace fluid in worn out joints. Hyaluronic acid acts as a "lubricant" between the bone and cartilage structures of the joints to reduce stress and pain.
The injections can provide significant and safe symptomatic relief in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.
Hyaluronic acid:
- relieves pain for up to 6 months at 6 ml;
- has a low incidence of local side effects in both initial and retreatment treatments;
Thus, non-invasive treatments are aimed at increasing the viscosity for joint function. With just one application, this treatment can provide up to six months of knee pain relief.
