A Novel Treatment For Knee Pain Due To Osteoarthritis
Dr. Benjamin Taimoorazy of the Beverly Hills Migraine and Pain Management Institute in Beverly Hills offers a novel treatment for the pain due to the Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee joint. As interventional pain management physicians, we always strive to introduce breakthrough treatments to manage a variety of chronic painful disorders, states Taimoorazy. One such malady is the pain resulting from the degenerative processes impacting the knee joint.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and usually a disease of aging. According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention or CDC, OA affects more than 30 million individuals in the United States. OA can affect any joint in the body but weight bearing joints such as hips and knees are most prone to this degenerative process. It is a gradually progressive deterioration with no specific remedy. Weight loss, joint support formulations such as Glucosamine-Chondroitin Sulfate and intra articular injection of proliferative agents such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) show some benefits in retarding or even rarely reversing the degenerative process. Inflammation, breakdown and eventual loss of the articular cartilage in the joint results in limitation of range of motion, stiffness, swelling and pain. Severe OA is a major cause of disability, loss of productivity and a major burden on economy. The resulting disability can also have significant psychological impact on the affected individual.
Dr. Taimoorazy emphasizes that an evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon is prudent in most patients suffering from severe OA, as there is a wide range of options that can be offered by these specialists. In the case of the OA of the knees these options can range from medical management, Physical therapy, joint injections, arthroscopy procedures and eventually total joint replacement. But there are times that surgery may not be an option: When the patient is either too young or too old, or when there is a significant co-existing medical problem that may increase the risks of general anesthesia and surgery. This is when a novel minimally invasive procedure may hold the key to an effective and significant relief from the pain of knee OA.
The procedure is called RADIOFREQUENCY NEUROTOMY or ABLATION, RFA for short. This procedure has been used extensively for the treatment of neck and back pain and headaches.
The unique anatomy of the knee allows this procedure to be performed safely and effectively. Basically the nerve supply to the knee is via the genicular nerves. Three of these nerves have very reliable and constant anatomical locations. This makes them, perfect targets for this procedure. Under very light sedation, and under X-ray fluoroscopy these nerves are anesthetized. If patient experiences significant pain relief, they will be candidates for the RFA procedure, which basically is a thermal deactivation of the nerves that lasts up to nine months. This can be repeated once or twice a year for continuous pain relief. This is an outpatient procedure and there is no incision, no requirement for general anesthesia, and the whole process takes less than thirty minutes to perform.
A minimally invasive outpatient procedure can provide a long lasting relief from the debilitating pain of knee joint OA.
