- A non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment provides effective pain relief, both immediate and long-term.
- Patients usually go home the same day after a brief postoperative observation after undergoing an embolization of the genital artery or GAE.
- By reducing inflammation, researchers have found that they can relieve or even eliminate the pain associated with arthritis.
Arthritis is one of the leading causes of joint pain in people around the world. Nevertheless, there can be a promising non-surgical procedure that can relieve pain for at least 12 months.
Researchers at UCLA Health have studied a non-surgical and minimally invasive treatment option for arthritis that offers effective pain relief both immediate and long-term.
Through an ingenious arterial embolization technique, 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 cartilage is damaged due to overuse. It causes stiffness, immobility and discomfort, which usually worsens with age.
When cartilage is worn out, inflammatory enzymes are released that cause joint pain.
And with over 100 types of arthritis, it is one of the most common ailments found in humans.
Arterial embolism is an outpatient procedure designed to limit inflammatory enzymes. GAE takes about 1 to 2 hours to complete, and patients usually go home the same day after a short postoperative observation.
During this procedure, a small catheter is directed from the groin to the blood vessels of the knee. Small particles are then injected to block a portion of the blood flow, causing embolization in the knee.
By doing so, the inflammatory markers associated with arthritis are reduced. By reducing inflammation, researchers can reduce or even remove the pain associated with this condition.
The Arthritis Foundation indicates that although a doctor has diagnosed at least 54 million Americans with arthritis, the number is likely to be underestimated. Experts estimate that more than 91 million adults have arthritis. Although there is no cure, there are measures to prevent and relieve the pain.
“Non-operative or minimally invasive procedures such as arterial embolization can limit pain and improve movement, so it may be a good option for patients who are just too risky to perform surgery,” said Dr. Manny Sethi, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
The technique is not new and is the largest approved study by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States to evaluate this embolization technique for the treatment of arthritis in the knee. This included 40 people who did not have candidates for total knee replacement and did not benefit from traditional therapies such as NSAIDs, physical therapy 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 averaged 3 out of 10. About 70 percent of the patients reported a reduction of more than 50 percent one year after the procedure.
Not everyone is a good candidate for this procedure. UCLA Health says the ideal patients are people aged 40 and 80, have moderate to severe localized knee pain and have not benefited from other therapies.
Sethi told Healthline that while this is an excellent option for older people who cannot tolerate surgery, more research may be needed to verify these findings.
‘We definitely need bigger and randomized controlled trials to help us understand the true impact of embolization. However, it seems to be a relatively safe and non-invasive option for non-surgical patients who are looking for additional options, ”Sethi said.
Although arthritis is a condition that many people experience, it can be prevented before surgery or procedures are needed.
“The biggest thing we are not talking about is basic weight loss,” Sethi told Healthline. ‘If you take 5 to 10 pounds off your body, it’s like taking 50 pounds off your joints. It is something that can give your joints a great relief. ‘
He also encouraged strengthening muscles, stretching, being active, walking more and not smoking more than other preventative measures that can slow down arthritis.