Viscosupplementation for Knee Arthritis: What to Expect

Your knees are two of your body's most powerful and flexible joints — but they’re also among the first to wear out. In fact, your knees are the most common joints to be affected by painful osteoarthritis.

In the past, you may have been stuck taking medication to mask your pain or, worse, stuck on the sidelines of life nursing your throbbing knees. Now, you have more options than ever before, including viscosupplementation.

Dr. Nikhil Pandhi is proud to offer his patients with arthritis a path back to stronger, healthier knees that can keep up with all that life has in store. 

Here’s everything you should know about this minimally invasive, natural solution to knee arthritis. 

Know thy enemy

Osteoarthritis is a condition that develops when cartilage (a substance that cushions and absorbs shock in your joints) wears down over time. Because your knees bear much of your body weight and the force of your movements, the cartilage in your knees tends to wear down faster than in your other joints. 

You also gradually lose synovial fluid, which partners with cartilage to lubricate your joints, allowing your bones to glide effortlessly past each other as you move. 

In short, arthritis creates a bone-on-bone situation in your knee, resulting in excruciating pain, inflammation, and limited mobility.

And that’s where viscosupplementation comes in. 

Know thy ally

Since arthritis has set in, your knees have become a desert. With viscosupplementation, we inject a solution of hyaluronic acid (HA) directly into your damaged knee joint to refresh, restore, and relubricate it.

HA is a gooey, slippery substance that your body produces naturally in your eyes, joints, and skin. Once injected, HA enhances the lubricating properties of the synovial fluid left in your knee, effectively reducing your pain, improving mobility, and boosting your overall quality of life. 

Who’s a candidate?

There’s no cure for knee arthritis, even with a breakthrough treatment like viscosupplementation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stop the progression and improve your symptoms. 

We recommend viscosupplementation for our patients who haven’t had any luck with traditional arthritis treatments and/or want to avoid or delay surgery. 

It’s important to note that every patient responds to injections differently, so you may not experience the same type of relief as a friend or family member, and you may need a series of injections to get the best results. Usually, we recommend three to five injections spaced one week apart. 

Many who respond well to the injections feel relief during their initial three- to five-week treatment, with the best results developing over the following weeks.

Should I expect side effects?

We have years of experience performing various joint injections, including viscosupplementation — and that’s one of the reasons we can guarantee little-to-no risk of side effects. When injected properly, viscosupplementation is a safe, well-tolerated treatment. 

Other than some mild tenderness at the injection site, swelling, and bruising, you shouldn’t experience any adverse effects. 

If you’re tired of limping along with knee arthritis, it’s time to talk to Dr. Pandhi about joint injections like viscosupplementation. Call or click to schedule a consultation with Dr. Pandhi and find out if you’re a candidate.