Millions of people live with knee osteoarthritis, a disease that slowly damages the cartilage protecting the knee joint.
As the condition progresses, everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, gardening, or exercising can become painful.
While medications, physical therapy, and injections may help early on, many patients eventually face the possibility of knee replacement surgery.
A newer minimally invasive procedure known as genicular artery embolization, or GAE, may provide another treatment option for some people.
Doctors from the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine are continuing to investigate GAE as a treatment for chronic knee pain caused by osteoarthritis.
The procedure has already shown promising results in previous studies, including research from Japan and the United States, and ongoing clinical trials aim to better understand its long-term effects.
Unlike knee replacement surgery, GAE does not remove or replace damaged bone or cartilage. Instead, doctors target small blood vessels that develop around inflamed tissue inside the knee. Scientists believe these abnormal vessels help fuel ongoing inflammation.
During the procedure, an interventional radiologist inserts a tiny catheter through an artery in the leg and carefully delivers microscopic particles that block these vessels. The procedure is performed under light sedation and most patients return home the same day.
Dr. Leigh Casadaban says patients with mild or moderate osteoarthritis who have not improved with standard treatments may benefit the most. Many people report their pain falls by half or even more after treatment, allowing them to return to activities they previously avoided.
Interest in GAE has increased steadily since the technique was first introduced in Japan more than a decade ago. Follow-up studies suggest that patients who respond well may continue experiencing pain relief for two to four years after a single treatment, although not every patient achieves the same result.
Researchers are now conducting additional studies to determine why some patients respond better than others. Current projects include examining changes in knee joint fluid after treatment and evaluating newer temporary embolization devices that may further improve outcomes.
While the early evidence is promising, important questions remain. Most available studies involve relatively small numbers of patients, and researchers still need larger randomized trials to compare GAE with injections, medications, physical therapy, and surgery. It is also unclear how well the procedure works for patients with very advanced arthritis.
Even with these uncertainties, GAE represents an exciting advance because it fills a treatment gap for people who have exhausted conservative care but wish to postpone or avoid major surgery.
If future studies continue to produce positive results, this minimally invasive approach could become an important option in the treatment of osteoarthritis and may eventually be expanded to other painful conditions such as frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, and plantar fasciitis.
If you care about bone health, please read studies that plant-based diets can harm your bone health without these nutrients, and how to ease arthritis with anti-inflammatory foods.
For more health information, please see recent studies that too much of this vitamin may increase your risk of bone fractures, and results showing this type of exercise may protect your bone health, slow down bone aging.
