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Knee Pain services offered in Edison, Clifton, Hazlet, Jersey City and West Orange, NJ
More than 10 million people visit their doctor every year, seeking treatment for knee pain. While the problem is sometimes solved with conventional treatment, chronic knee pain caused by conditions like osteoarthritis or severe injury often require the type of interventional pain medicine provided by the doctors at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics. If you have knee pain from any cause, call one of their offices in Edison, Clifton, Hazlet, Paramus, or Jersey City, New Jersey, or schedule an appointment online for a consultation.
Knee Pain Q & A
What types of injections are used to relieve knee pain?
The doctors at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics use several types of injections to give you long-lasting relief from knee pain. Two injections that benefit many patients include:
SYNVISC injections
SYNVISC is a synthetic form of hyaluronic acid that works as a lubricant and shock absorber when it’s injected into your knee. It’s used to alleviate pain and improve knee movement in people with osteoarthritis who haven’t achieved pain relief with other treatments.
Steroid injections
Steroid injections are guided by ultrasound to ensure the needle is in the proper location. The medication alleviates pain by reducing inflammation and swelling, an improvement you’ll feel in about 24-48 hours. Most people continue to have significantly diminished pain for six to 12 weeks.
How can nerve signals be blocked to stop knee pain?
Some interventional procedures work by stopping nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. Two examples of this type of knee pain treatment are:
Genicular injections and ablation
A genicular injection contains a local anesthetic that’s used to test whether you’re a good candidate for genicular ablation. Using X-ray guidance for accurate needle placement, the anesthetic is placed on genicular nerves surrounding your knee.
If the injection effectively relieves your pain, then you’re a good candidate for genicular radiofrequency ablation. In this procedure, the same nerves that were injected are cauterized using radiofrequency heat. This interrupts nerve signals and diminishes your pain for about 12-18 months.
DRG spinal cord stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation uses a medical device placed under your skin to send mild electrical current to nerves. This interrupts pain signals so you feel less pain.
DRG spinal cord stimulation follows the same process, but the electrical stimulation specifically targets the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), which is a cluster of nerve cells. Pain signals must travel through the DRG on their way to the brain. Since each vertebra has a DRG, this therapy is more targeted than general spinal cord stimulation.
How does platelet-rich plasma alleviate knee pain?
Platelets are found in your blood, where they help stop bleeding. They also contain growth factors that stimulate cell growth and promote healing. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is blood plasma that contains a higher concentration of platelets.
The doctors at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics use ultrasound to guide PRP injections. Once PRP is in your knee, the platelets do what they’re supposed to do -- they speed up healing and trigger the growth of new cells to replace damaged tissues. PRP is used to treat knee problems such as osteoarthritis and tendon, ligament, and meniscal injuries.