Are Knee HAs for Everyone: Who Needs It the Most?
Mar 07, 2022
Hyaluronic acid (HA) combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), or knee HA PRP, is an effective way to treat patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee. Hyaluronic acid is a natural gel-like substance that acts as a lubricant for your knee joints and slows down the progression of osteoarthritis.
The hyaluronic acid in the treatment acts as a cushion, allowing your joints and bones to move without rubbing against each other. This helps to lessen the discomfort and pain associated with osteoarthritis.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Knee HA PRP?
Individuals with osteoarthritis are the best candidates for receiving this treatment. Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage in the joints breaks down and wears away the synovial lining. People who experience osteoarthritis may experience pain in their knees and inflammation.
Knee HA PRP treatment replenishes the lining of your knee joints, making it a promising treatment for knee osteoarthritis. However, it is not effective in helping ligament tears, sprains, and other knee issues. This is because it cannot repair tissue, only the joint lining.
Individuals who have early signs of osteoarthritis, are under 65, and are a healthy weight are ideal candidates for hyaluronate injections. Patients who are overweight or who have advanced osteoarthritis do not respond as well to this treatment.
What Happens When You Receive a Hyaluronic Acid Injection?
Receiving a hyaluronic acid injection is a relatively simple process that your doctor can perform in a quick visit. Depending on the severity and swelling of your osteoarthritis, the doctor may provide a local anesthetic and extract some excess fluid. Once that is complete, they will inject the HA into your knee using an X-ray to determine the correct placement.
What Happens after a Hyaluronic Acid Injection?
Like many medical treatments, everyone responds to this injection differently. Some individuals feel immediate relief, while others do not feel its effects for a few weeks.
How Long Will a Hyaluronic Acid Injection Provide Pain Relief?
Once the injection begins to work, the pain and inflammation in your knee will start to ease, and you should be able to move easier. Most people will have pain relief for anywhere between four to six months. After six months, patients can receive another knee HA PRP injection.
How Effective Is Hyaluronic Acid Injection?
The effectiveness of the treatment often provides enough pain relief that people can delay knee replacement surgery or, in some instances, avoid knee surgery altogether. In addition, it can be more effective than medications for some patients.
While hyaluronic acid injection cannot stop the progression of osteoarthritis, it does provide pain relief and improves your knees’ function.
Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid Injection
In addition to delaying or eliminating knee surgery, knee HA PRP injections can limit the number of medications you have to take. In some individuals, it has shown signs that it helps your body produce more hyaluronic acid on its own. It also helps to maintain your knees’ cartilage and preserve their function.
To learn more about knee HA PRP, contact Kentucky Joint Specialists in Louisville, KY, at 502-771-5432. Our team of specialists will answer all of your knee pain questions.