- A non-surgical and minimally invasive treatment effectively provides both immediate and long-term pain relief.
- Patients usually go home the same day after a brief postoperative observation after undergoing genicular artery embolization or GAE.
- By reducing inflammation, the researchers found that they could relieve or even eliminate the pain associated with arthritis.
Arthritis is one of the leading causes of joint pain for people around the world. However, there may be a promising non-surgical procedure that can relieve pain for at least 12 months.
UCLA Health researchers have studied a non-surgical and minimally invasive treatment option for arthritis that effectively provides both immediate and long-term pain relief.
Using a technique called genicular artery embolization, or GAE, doctors can relieve arthritis pain in the knees within hours of the procedure.
Arthritis is pain and swelling in the joints of the body after the cartilage is damaged by overuse. It causes stiffness, immobility and discomfort, which usually get worse with age.
When cartilage is depleted, inflammatory enzymes are released that cause joint pain.
And with more than 100 types of arthritis, it is one of the most common diseases that affect people.
Genicular artery embolization is an outpatient procedure designed to limit inflammatory enzymes. The GAE takes approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete and patients usually go home the same day after a brief postoperative observation.
During this procedure, a small catheter is directed from the groin to the blood vessels in the knee. Small particles are then injected to block some of the blood flow, causing embolization in the knee.
By doing so, the inflammatory markers associated with arthritis are reduced. By minimizing inflammation, researchers can decrease or even eliminate the pain associated with this condition.
The Arthritis Foundation indicates that while at least 54 million Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis by a doctor, the number is likely to be underestimated. Experts believe more than 91 million adults have arthritis. While there is no cure, there are measures to prevent and relieve pain.
“Non-operative or minimally invasive procedures such as genital artery embolization can limit pain and improve movement, so this may be a good option for patients who are too risky to have surgery,” the doctor said. Manny Sethi, adjunct professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
The technique is not new and is the largest U.S.-approved study by the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate this embolization technique to treat knee arthritis. It included 40 people who were not candidates for a total knee replacement and who did not benefit from traditional therapies such as NSAIDs, physiotherapy, and joint injections.
The researchers found that the average pain score was 8 out of 10 before the procedure. One week after the procedure, it was 3 out of 10 on average. About 70 percent of patients reported a reduction in pain more than 50 percent a year after the procedure.
Not everyone is a good candidate for this procedure. UCLA Health says the ideal patients are people in their 40s and 80s, who have localized moderate to severe knee pain and have not benefited from other therapies.
Sethi told Healthline that while this is a great option for seniors who cannot tolerate surgery, more research may be needed to verify these results.
“We definitely need bigger, randomized controlled studies to help us understand the true impact of embolization. Still, it seems a relatively safe and non-invasive option for non-surgical patients looking for additional options, ”Sethi said.
Although arthritis is a condition that many people experience, it can be prevented even before surgeries or procedures are needed.
“The most important thing we don’t talk about is basic weight loss,” Sethi told Healthline. “Taking 5 to 10 pounds out of your body is like taking 50 pounds out of your joints; it’s something that can give your joints significant relief.”
It also encouraged muscle strengthening, stretching, activity, walking more and not smoking, as well as other preventative measures that can slow down arthritis.