Viscosupplementation is a new technique in which Hyaluronic Acid is injected in the joint space to relieve the patient of his symptoms of knee joint pain.
Osteoarthritis is a painful inflammatory disease of the joints. The first line of treatment in cases of Osteoarthritis is to relieve the pain. This is achieved by NSAIDS along with physical therapy, applications of a topical analgesic and injections of a corticosteroid. Some patients are allergic to NSAIDs and moreover NSAIDs only provide temporary relief. Viscosupplementation is done for a long term relief. Viscosupplementation has been shown to relieve pain in many patients who cannot get relief from nonmedicinal measures or analgesic drugs.
Immediate Effects
Hyaluronic acid does not have an immediate pain-relieving effect.
The Patient may notice a local reaction, such as pain, warmth, and slight swelling immediately after the shot. These symptoms generally do not last long. It is a good idea to apply an ice pack to help ease them.
Long Term Effects
Hyaluronic acid does seem to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. The injections may also stimulate the body to produce more of its own hyaluronic acid.
Effects may last for several months.
The most popular viscosupplementation is the Synvisc One injection from Sanofi Pharma. This 6 ml injection is given in one shot and costs approximately USD 300-400 for each knee joint. The effect of the injection comes in 6-12 weeks time and the effect lasts for about 6 months. Most of the insurance companies in India do not cover this procedure as it is given in the OPD and does not require hospitalization. The high cost of the injection and the shorter relief period makes it less attractive for the cost conscious patients who would prefer to go for Total Knee Replacement Surgery. However if you want to postpone the surgery for some months due to whatever reasons then this is a good solution.
Other brands of Viscosupplementation are Orthovisc, Euflexxa, and Supartz but they are less popular amongst the orthopaedicians as compared to Synvisc One.
Our hospitals are located in the northern part of the country specially in the NCR region within a distance of 20-50 kms from the New Delhi airport. Our hospitals are super specialty in the fields of Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Joint Replacement, Cancer Care, Liver and Kidney Transplants and many other brances of medicine. Some of our hospitals specialize only in Joint Replacements and Arthroscopies.
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