Services 2 — Palomar Spine and Pain

Viscosupplementation Injections

If you are dealing with joint pain or osteoarthritis in the knee, viscosupplementation injections could be an excellent treatment option for you, especially if you are looking for a temporary alternative to surgery. To give you a better idea of what viscosupplementation injections entail, we have provided some answers to common questions about viscosupplementation injections.

What are viscosupplementation injections?

Viscosupplementation injections use hyaluronic acid (HA) to treat chronic joint pain and dysfunction, particularly osteoarthritis in the knee joint. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in your body and is found in the highest concentrations within the fluid that surrounds your joints and eyes.The fluid around your joints containing hyaluronic acid, known as synovial fluid, functions as a shock absorber and lubricant for your joints.

However, synovial fluid loses much of its thickness and viscosity during osteoarthritis, causing increased pain and discomfort with joint movement while also allowing inflammatory cells released during osteoarthritis to contact sensory nerves in your joint.

With that in mind, viscosupplementation injections supplement the synovial fluid by injecting a thick gel form of hyaluronic acid into the synovium, or synovial membrane, to allow for decreased inflammation smoother and less painful joint movement.

How effective is viscosupplementation?

Many patients have found viscosupplementation injections to be a highly effective pain-relief solution to joint pain caused by conditions like osteoarthritis. Moreover, considering that the procedure is minimally invasive, quick, and relatively painless, there is very little risk with viscosupplementation injections when compared with the benefits of viscosupplementation, which include long-lasting pain relief and improved joint function. In this way, viscosupplementation is an effective alternative to more invasive procedures like total knee replacement for individuals who want to avoid or delay such treatment.

During a viscosupplementation injection procedure, Dr. Faruque will clean the injection site and administer a local anesthetic to the joint so that you do not feel any pain during the viscosupplementation injection. X-ray imaging is used to guide the needle into the precise position. The hyaluronic acid is then directly into the affected joint synovium using a needle and syringe. After the injection, a small bandage to cover the injection site.

How long does viscosupplementation last?

When viscosupplementation injections are successful, they can provide pain relief and improved joint function for anywhere between 6 months to one year. With additional injections, you may find that the effects of viscosupplementation treatment last up to three years. While viscosupplementation injections can last for a long time, the results are not immediate. As such, it may take several weeks before you notice an improvement in joint pain and function.

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