Joint pain can make it difficult for you to perform chores around your house, exercise, and take part in other daily activities. Your joint pain may also cause you to feel depressed and unhappy. At Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, we can use a technique called viscosupplementation to reduce your discomfort and improve your mobility.
What Is Viscosupplementation?
Viscosupplementation is a medical treatment that will improve your joint pain in a minimally invasive manner. It’s common to use this treatment to address osteoarthritis that affects your knees. During this treatment, we will administer a special type of gel into your affected joint. This gel will use a substance called hyaluronic acid to hydrate your joints and improve your elasticity and flexibility.
This viscosupplementation treatment can allow you to perform a wider range of movements and exercises. You will have an easier time taking care of your house, going on walks, running errands, and engaging in other daily activities. In addition, you can use this treatment to reduce the amount of joint pain that you experience. Further, this treatment can slow the progression of your joint issues and allow you to delay receiving a total knee replacement.
What Are the Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis?
If you are experiencing knee osteoarthritis, your knees are likely to feel very stiff after you wake up in the morning or take a nap. In addition, you might have swelling in this location. Your knees can become less flexible, and you might notice lumps in your joints. These lumps might be bone spurs that are negatively impacting the functionality of your knees.
It’s common to experience a crackling sensation or grating feeling when you use your knees. In addition, you may experience popping when you move your affected joints.
Why Have I Developed Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage in your joints becomes weak. Typically, there is a cap of cartilage at the ends of the bones in your joints. This cartilage is coated with a special fluid that includes hyaluronic acid. This acid will lubricate your joints and help them absorb shocks. When your cartilage is in good condition, your bones with be able to move in a smooth, comfortable fashion.
If you develop osteoarthritis, the condition of your joints will change. In particular, your cartilage caps can degrade over time. As your cartilage weakens, the bones in your joints will begin to have difficulty moving against each other. In addition, the amount of hyaluronic acid in your joints may decrease. As this process continues, you will develop swelling issues, stiffness, and other problems.
How Can I Diagnose My Knee Issues?
If you think that you are suffering from knee problems, you should not ignore your physical symptoms. You can diagnose osteoarthritis by using a range of easy diagnostic tools. For example, your healthcare provider could X-ray your knees. Your X-ray may show that you have bone spurs in this area. In addition, your X-ray can be used to look for bone changes that suggest that your joints have lost cartilage.
You can also receive an MRI. This test can provide more information about the condition of the cartilage in your knees. Further, a blood test or analysis of the fluid in your joints can determine whether you are suffering from an infection.
Am I a Suitable Candidate for This Medical Treatment?
If your joint pain is limiting your ability to complete daily activities or causing you to experience emotional problems, you may be an ideal candidate for this treatment. In particular, this treatment can be a very good way to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis in your knees. This Viscosupplementation treatment is commonly used to address osteoarthritis that is minor or moderate.
The best way to determine whether you are likely to benefit from this medical treatment is to visit our office in Tempe for an individualized consultation. During this meeting, we will examine the joint that is causing you to experience problems. In addition, we will ask you questions about the mobility issues, discomfort, and other symptoms that you have been experiencing. This consultation will allow us to determine whether you are eligible for this technique.
How Should I Prepare for My Appointment?
Before you receive this medical treatment, you will need to tell us about all of the supplements and medications that you are currently using. In addition to telling us about your joint issues, you should let us know about any other health issues that you have. Depending on your unique situation, we may instruct you to stop taking certain medications and supplements before you receive your joint treatment.
On the morning of your appointment, you should wear comfortable, loose clothing. Choosing this type of outfit will make it easier for us to access your knees or other joints during your appointment.
What Should I Expect During My Joint Treatment?
We will complete your joint treatment at our office in Tempe. To begin, we will gently clean the skin on your affected joint. If you are experiencing swelling in this location, we may remove extra fluids from your joint before we begin the next step of your medical viscosupplementation treatment.
Once you are ready, we will gently administer the hyaluronic acid into the affected joint. This process is very quick, and you will feel relaxed as we use hyaluronic acid to treat your joint issues.
Will I Have a Long Period of Downtime After I Get This Treatment?
This viscosupplementation medical treatment is minimally invasive and easy on your joints. Once we have finished administering your hyaluronic acid, you can go back to caring for your children or grandchildren, attending to your job, or performing other daily tasks.
However, we may instruct you to put ice onto your joint for a short period of time. In addition, you should not go jogging, stand for a long period, or lift heavy objects. If we used this treatment to improve one of your knees, you’ll need to avoid putting too much weight on your affected leg for the next 48 hours.
When did Will My Joint Pain improve?
Since your hyaluronic acid treatment will take some time to improve your joint, you should not expect to see instant changes in your mobility challenges and other symptoms. In general, your joint should begin to improve within the next several weeks.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Under many circumstances, you will be able to achieve a more significant reduction in your joint pain and other symptoms if you get multiple Viscosupplementation treatments. It’s common to receive a second treatment after about six months have passed.
Can I Use Other Methods to Treat My Joint Pain?
In addition to using hyaluronic acid to improve your joint issues, we may advise you to use lifestyle changes and use other treatments to address your joint issues.
Losing Weight
Gaining weight can strain your joints and increase the severity of your symptoms. If you are overweight, we may advise you to use a safe method to lose your excess weight and reduce the pressure on your joints.
Getting Physical Therapy
We may advise you to improve your range of motion and mobility by getting physical therapy from a trained healthcare professional. Your physical therapist can teach you exercises that will improve the condition of your muscles, decrease stiffness, and reduce your physical symptoms. In addition, your physical therapist might use a technique called manual therapy to address your joint issues. During this treatment, your therapist will gently move your joints.
In addition to moving your joints, your therapist may provide you with special exercises to perform at your home. Regularly performing your exercises can help you continue to build on the improvements that you experienced during your therapy sessions. You might also be advised to wear braces or compression garments during the day or nighttime.
Taking Medications
Medications can be used to relieve your joint pain. For example, we may advise you to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. In addition, we might recommend using acetaminophen to relieve your symptoms.
Getting Exercise
Engaging in gentle exercises will improve your overall health and strengthen your core and muscles. For example, swimming can be a great way to exercise without straining your knees and other joints. In addition, yoga can improve your flexibility and reduce stiffness in your joints. Engaging in this type of exercise can also help you feel more relaxed.
We may also advise you to try cycling. Cycling can be an excellent way to exercise the muscles in your legs without putting unnecessary pressure on your knees.
Changing Your Diet
Eating a high amount of refined carbohydrates and sugar can cause your joints to become inflamed. Changing your diet can decrease the amount of inflammation around your knees and improve the symptoms of your arthritis.
Elevating Your Legs
If you’re dealing with frequent swelling issues and joint pain in your knees, we may advise you to elevate your legs. You might begin by elevating your legs for about 20 to 30 minutes. You can perform this task two times a day. Changing the position of your legs may decrease your inflammation and reduce your discomfort.
Using Cold and Hot Therapy
You may be able to relieve your joint pain by applying an ice pack or hot compress to your skin. Your ice pack will diminish inflammation and swelling issues. A hot compress will relax your muscles and lubricate your joints.
Receiving PRP Treatments
Platelet-rich plasma, also known as PRP, is a natural healing solution that can be used to reduce the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. This powerful treatment is used to address muscle tears, tendonitis, ligament sprains, and many other health issues. During your PRP treatment, we will use a gentle technique to take a small sample of your blood.
We will use a centrifuge machine to spin your blood at very high speeds. This machine will separate out the platelet-rich plasma from the other materials in your blood. Once the solution is ready, we will begin the healing process by administering this powerful substance into your joint. The PRP solution has restorative power that can improve your discomfort and other symptoms.
Schedule a Consultation
Persistent joint pain can cause you to miss out on social events and have difficulty completing daily tasks. Your chronic pain can also cause you to feel depressed and isolated. Viscosupplementation can reduce your pain and improve your ability to take part in daily activities. To learn more about the benefits of this minimally invasive treatment, contact us at Phoenix Regenerative Medicine in Tempe, Arizona.
