At Suncoast Integrative Healthcare, our Viscosupplementation therapy treatment plan has been engineered specifically to help patients who are suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee avoid steroid injections and knee replacement surgery. This non-surgical knee therapy is FDA approved and covered by most insurance carriers (including Medicare).
It is a key step of our three-part knee pain relief program that includes knee bracing, Viscosupplementation therapy, and injections of natural growth factors.
The first step of knee bracing allows for better alignment of the knee, often offering instant relief from the pressure of bone-on-bone contact, and putting the joint in a better position to receive the latter two treatments in the program.
How Does Viscosupplementation for Knees Work?
The second part of the program, Viscosupplementation therapy for the knee, works by providing additional lubrication to the joint, so that there is less or no contact between the bones.
As your joint degenerates through osteoarthritis, the surrounding cartilage, tissue, and synovial fluid – which lubricates the joint – begin to decrease or disappear, leaving the bone exposed and rather raw from contact.
This is where traditional medicine and Viscosupplementation therapy take different paths. It’s usually around this point where a traditional doctor might ordinarily say it’s time for steroid injections and eventually a knee replacement surgery. With Viscosupplementation therapy, we aim to give the patient the components and tissue needed to help accelerate the healing process, encouraging the repair of damaged cells and the regeneration of healthy ones, to provide relief from the painful symptoms.
This second step of our knee pain relief program utilizes Viscosupplementation injections to add a material that acts as synthetic synovial fluid into the affected knee joint. The new fluid bonds with the existing fluid within the joint and provides that much-needed cushion and lubrication between those bones.
These injections are administered in a series of five shots, one week apart. Immediately following each injection, ice is applied to the knee to minimize swelling. There is minimal downtime from the procedure, and the relief from Viscosupplementation therapy is often reported to be immediate and has been shown to last up to six months or longer.
The third and final step of our knee pain relief program is a restorative treatment where natural growth factors and other vital tissue for recovery are injected into the knee, allowing further healing to take place. The cytokines, growth factors, and other powerful elements in these injections work together to combat inflammation and pain brought on by osteoarthritis.
Imagine being able to go up and down the stairs again, walk the golf course, or chase your grandkids around the yard. Those activities you thought were long gone might be within sight again.
The sooner you begin the knee pain relief program, the better, before your knee damage becomes too severe.
If you or a loved one are suffering from chronic knee pain and would like to find out if you’re a candidate for Viscosupplementation therapy in St Petersburg, call us today at (727) 519-3757 to schedule a free consultation.