genicular artery embolization
Severe osteoarthritis doesn’t have to mean a knee replacement. With genicular artery embolization (GAE), our specialists can help alleviate knee pain without traditional surgery.
Knee Pain
About one in four people live with chronic knee pain. The most common cause is osteoarthritis (OA). It affects nearly 30 million people in the U.S. OA damages the cartilage and synovium (the tissue inside the joint), increasing blood vessels in the area. This causes inflammation, a major factor in pain.
Unfortunately, there is no treatment available to prevent or slow the progress of OA. Current therapies include pain medicine and steroid injections which may offer temporary relief until knee replacement surgery is needed.
Recently, doctors started looking at a different way to treat the pain. They’ve learned that decreasing the inflammation can help decrease the pain. A procedure called genicular artery embolization (GAE), done through a nick in the skin, changes the blood flow to the knee to reduce the growth of new blood vessels. This in turn reduces the inflammation to break the cycle of pain.
Benefits of GAE include:
- An alternative to knee replacement
- No general anesthesia
- No hospital stays; it’s done in an office setting
- Simple recovery with no bed rest or restrictions
- Return to normal activities very quickly
GAE may be an option for patients who are not finding relief from their current treatments but are not ready or able to have knee replacement surgery. Call for an appointment to see if GAE is right for you.