A modern treatment method is now offering hope to millions of patients suffering from knee pain by providing relief through an injection based procedure for at least 12 months.
The treatment involves a procedure known as Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE), a minimally invasive operation that targets abnormal blood vessels around the knees of patients suffering from joint pain.
In knees affected by osteoarthritis, abnormal blood vessels develop around the joint, causing inflammation and pain. During GAE, a radiologist guides a thin catheter directly to the affected vessel and blocks it, helping reduce inflammation and pain without the need for major surgery.
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, causes significant discomfort for patients. According to the World Health Organization, osteoarthritis affects more than 365 million people worldwide.
According to the research, the GAE trial included 114 women and 80 men with an average age of 69 years. All participants had failed to achieve significant relief despite at least three months of regular treatment, including physiotherapy, anti inflammatory medications, and joint injections.
The study reported a rapid reduction in pain following treatment, along with overall improvement in symptoms. At the 12 month follow up, 80 percent of participants experienced clinically significant improvement, while only 6.7 percent showed minor adverse reactions.
The trial’s lead researcher, Dr. Flakenstein, said, “Our study demonstrates that GAE using rapidly absorbable gelatin based microspheres is a safe and minimally invasive procedure that provides patients with osteoarthritis related knee symptoms significant pain relief and functional improvement for at least 12 months.”
He further stated, “By blocking the affected vessels, we have been able to restore the vascular structure to a more normal state, which has also helped rebalance the neural structure of the knee.”
Experts say that if future studies produce similar results, this new procedure could help reduce the need for knee replacement surgery and repeated conventional injections in the future.
