Knee Injections ?
 

I'm considering knee injections for pain which comes and goes - currently its come. I've been previoulsy told the knee is bone on bone and I've already had the other knee replaced by Dr Wynn with great success but the downtime for complete knee replacement at my age is more than I'm ready for at this time especially with Covid. There are 3 Drs that advertise heavily in the paper and I'm looking for comments (good bad or neutral) from anyone who has had first hand experience with either Arthritis Relief Center or Physicians Rehabilitation or The Burress Medical Center.
If I've missed another option please let me know. I would prefer a first-hand experience than picking one blind. I've searched Talk of the Villages and haven't found anything related to this.

I get a cortisone shot every 6-8 months in my knees for arthritis. My current physician and my past physicians have always done them in their office. I suggest you start your search with your primary doctor. Good luck, you have my empathy.

I have no experience with the Doctors listed, but I can say that knee injections are, at best, a temporary relief of pain if you are lucky. Not a long term solution. As a fellow sufferer from knee pain, here is wishing you the best of luck.

I would recommend seeing a good orthopedic Doc. For my bone-on-bone knee, they tried a cortisone shot but that only helped for a few weeks. Then I got a gel shot (actually a series of 3 shots) that has provided relief for 9 months and counting.

From google on gel shots: Synvisc knee injections, also known as Hylan G-F 20, are one of the most common types of joint lubricant injections used for the treatment of knee arthritis. The substance used in synvisc knee injections is hyaluronan, which is a natural gel-like substance found in normal joint fluid, which lubricates the knee

I think these ads in the local paper are basically gel shots but I could be wrong. I’ve used Advanced Orthopedics Institute by the Villages Hospital but I think most ortho doctors will do gel shots.

Besides cortisone shots, the other option is to inject a hyaluronic acid gel, a natural substance that acts as a cushioning agent. It can last for several months before another injection is needed. Do a Google search for "Hyaluronic acid knee injection reviews" for more information.

I had a knee replaced three weeks ago, because of the Covid restrictions.
As the recuperation period is lenghthy, and we are in another lockdown and cant travel to TV. I have very little to do other than exercise, and moan and bitch about the pain!
If you are bone on bone, no treatment is going to solve the problem long term, and only delays the inevitable replacement.
As you have been there before, I would go for it sooner rather than later, as you will be a lot wiser with the recovery the second time around.
The older you get the harder the recuperation.
Good luck.
JMO.

A friend that tried that had to have knee replaced.

I had a series of 5 shots called Supartz injected into both knees over a period of 5 weeks because of bone on bone. My left knee had to be replaced about 6 months after the injections and that was in January of 2018. My right knee is still pain free. These injections were given to me by a PA in my doctor's office. If and when the pain comes back, I will go for the injections first, rather than having knee replacement surgery immediately. I do leg exercises 3 times a week and I'm not sure if that may be why I'm not experiencing pain or not.

I’ ve used Dr. Timothy Van de Leur at Orthopedic Surgeons on 27/441 for one injection and fixing partial tear in meniscus. Good Dr and practice.

I was told by Dr. Nguyen, a prominent Orthopedist in Orlando, that gel shots only work 60% of the time and generally provide relief for a few months. It didn't work at all for me and I had a cortisone shot which provided complete relief for 4-5 months. If you opt for the gel shot, don't waste your money on the $1000 knee brace they recommend. I found it to be very uncomfortable and a complete waste of money.

I’ve had replacement knee surgery with only a few days of down time. Only two days at hospital. One week later I was walking on my own.

I had a partial knee replacement for bone on bone problem. My other knee had also been bothering me so I had gel injection. So far a year later and I’m doing well. Dr Karena at Unova did a great job.

Due to arthritis and a divot in the back of my knee cap from doing deep squats in the gym, I had found it painful to sit with my knee bent for more than 5 minutes. Going to theaters or arenas where there was no leg room or flying in coach was a nightmare (I’m 5’11”).

I got a cortisone shot and it worked great for about one day. I next tried three OrthoVisc gel injections spaced two weeks apart. My knee felt worse (as expected) for a day or so after the injections because the bulky gel expands the joint. It then went back to the normal amount of pain. I got no relief whatsoever.

The cost for the gel wasn’t that much. I think it was something like $275, but with copays for every trip to the doctor it really added up. My copays are $50 for a specialist. So the initial visit, the one to get evaluated for the gel, the three for gel shots, and the followup visit added another $300. It was a real waste of money.

Dr. Oliverre then recommended scoping my knee to smooth out the rough spots. I decided to try it. Although my knee still can get uncomfortable when it is bent for long, it is no longer painful. Getting it scoped was outpatient surgery with a six week recovery. I got serious about cycling to rehabilitate it and am now up to 200 miles per week and have lost 18 pounds.

Your mileage may vary.

same problem
 

had same problem and went to Dr. John Williams, The Villages Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center | AOI. 1st option was a Cortisone shots which he said may or may not work. next was the gel and finally knee replacement. He is an ex athlete. Very honest. I took the cortisone shot and that has lasted over 6 months. He said it may or may not work and may last from 1 month to 1 year. So far it has lasted for over 6 months. However I do wear a knee brace when playing golf. He also prescribe Diclofenac Sodium Tropical gel 1%. Which in my opinion is a miracle gel. Can't believe how good this works.

Same issue here. Dr. had to give me a Cortizone shot first, as per MEDICARE knows. He said it would not help and it did not. Then 2-3 weeks later I went in and had a gel shot. It has been 14 months and I do not need another one yet. However, he can give me one every six months. I believe this is a stop gap measure to anything more invasive.

go get the replacement

I had syn-visc injection in knee 20 years ago. It is still bone on bone. And i had bad reaction to shot. No pain relief at all. Swelling daily. To this day i get spots in skin above knee that look like chicken pox. Be wary, Once they put something in your body, it is There forever.

I have read a lot about it. I have to three open houses. Insurance does not pay for it. Cost is $7,500 - $12,500 per knee. There is no medical evidence to support it.

Have you tried acupuncture to decrease and eliminate your pain? Acupuncture is much less invasive than surgery, and might eliminate the pain.

My brother in law is an Acupuncturist. I’ve had acupuncture treatment for many things. Back pain after shoveling snow, knee pain, elbow pain, and other things.

Probably the worst problem I had was a bone spur on my foot. The pain was very severe. I could barely walk 100 feet, before I would have to take a break. I was continuously on pain medication. I had two cortisone shots, which made the pain much worse.

The foot doctor then told me that the only option for me was foot surgery. I then tried getting acupuncture treatment for the bone spur. It took about 14 treatments to end the bone spur pain, because the cortisone made the problem worse. I should have had the acupuncture treatment before trying cortisone shots because then it would only take about 4 to 6 acupuncture treatments.

The acupuncture treatments cause the bone spur pain location to move at first. The bone spur location is normally constant and does not change locations. Then the acupuncture treatments broke apart the bone spur pain and made it go away. I had the bone spur pain for a few months before trying acupuncture treatment.

The acupuncture treatments took about a month, and eliminated the bone spur pain totally. That bone spur pain did not return. That was about 10 years ago.

Sometimes western medicine is best. Sometimes eastern medicine is best. Acupuncture uses needles, but it doesn’t feel like being stuck with a sewing needle or a shot needle. It feels like small temporary static electricity shocks when the needles are inserted.

If I got the foot surgery first, it might not have solved the pain problem, and then the acupuncture treatment probably would not work. It’s best to try the far less invasive acupuncture treatments first, before considering surgery.

Acupuncture treatment isn’t the best solution for every problem, but sometimes is the best solution for many situations. Acupuncture also works better it the acupuncture treatment starts closer to the point in time when the pain started. Otherwise, it takes more acupuncture treatment sessions.

The needles are sometimes put in the location of pain, sometimes put in the opposite reflected location on your body using the indirect method. There’s no downside to trying acupuncture, other than the time or expense. In my case, since my brother in law is an acupuncturist, my acupuncture treatments are free. But after successfully using acupuncture to solve pain problems, I would pay for the acupuncture treatments if I didn’t have my brother in law available to do the acupuncture treatments.

I have no experience with those but from personal experience , I . recommend Syn-Visc injection for osteoarthritis in knees. I had it in Ohio with almost instant loss of pain and again here in the Villages, same result. Dr. Novis is my doctor but I’m sure others offer it also, almost painless injection into knee takes 10 minutes tops and it works, check it out !!

I have had great success with Orthovisc injections and have been able to put off replacement surgery for my bone on bone knees for almost 9 years. The first few rounds I got every 6 to 9 months but haven't had to have any for over 2 1/2 years. I am far from having the knees I did in my 20s but am able to do most of the things I need and like to do without too much pain. Motion though is somewhat limited but not a major impediment. I take no type of pain reliever and have not needed any physical therapy for years. I do exercise in the pool daily. Now if only I could lose weight is feel even better. We have used Orthopedic Institute for several other things and have been very satisfied with the Drs but sometimes hard to get a hold of the staff over the phone.

I had knee pain in my left knee for a year or so And instead of rushing into a knee replacement the doctor gave me two shots one week a part of a gel in my knee and within two days the pain was gone it’s been two years now at least that’s how it worked for me I will do it again

it sounds like your procedure was minimally invasive?

Have you tried the gel shots- 3 of them worked great for me

Stem cell? Clarix Flo
 

I've had symptoms visc but also Clarix Flo "stem Cell" embryo fluids, umbilical partials, however once they freeze dry stem cells it loses most stem cell property. It does have healing properties and helped my knee 80%. $1500 now all I take is turmeric pills. Amazing difference.

I had one knee replaced but have been getting the gel shot in the other for 5-6 years. Can only get them 2 times a year but they have worked great for me. Dr. Michael Messiah is my orthopedic Dr. and several of my friends have either had the shots or replacement. He is great for that also, does the side surgery so recovery time is short. Had mine done on the 4th of April and was back to work three weeks later--try him!

I had both of these multiple times over 2 or 3 years. I couldn't walk and play golf, couldn't dance. Trouble sleeping with knee pain. Was taking 3 or 4 Aleve per day. Then i got a stem cell injection. It worked! Three years later, i’m still walking, dancing, sleeping well.n Pain reduced by 90%. Down side = not covered by medicare. Cost me $5000. (Cord stem cell seems to be the important factor. Advanced Regenerative Orthopedics) have heard it doesnt work for everyone.

Be careful with these shots as they will weaken muscle best get your knee replaced! I walked out the hospital no crutches

Dr Kraucek
 

Had a really painful knee. Could not bowl anymore. Not Cortezone. He gave me injections of Prolozone. Not covered by Medicare 7 years ago, but maybe now. Worked wonders and still good. It repairs ligaments and other problems under the knee cap. Dr Kraucek across from the hospital on 441, in medical buildings.

I have been through the same knee problems and ended having them both replaced in 2013 and 2014. However,
you usually begin with cortisone shots given by a chiropractor.
Good Luck

Seems the normal way these days.
Don't think there is full replacement with minimal invasive proceedures.
I had full knee replacement, and very painfull after surgery
Day after op. physio and walking with crutches, up stairs as well.
Day two home. Walked out to car pickup using sticks.
I do the physio and ice packs three times a day, and walking daily.
Doing about a third of a mile each session now after three weeks.
Still painfull.
I complain and bitch all day, wife says I am a joy to live with!!!:ohdear:

Simvisc - Varying Degrees of Relief
 

Those did not help me or my 89 year old mother. Neither provided much relief and we both suffer from "bone on bone." After years of knee pain the progression of medications from: Gabapentin, Cortisone injections, Simvisc to finally a knee replacement. None of them provided long term relief and was usually short term. The surgery (Dr Duke) still did not provide 100% relief and eventually that knee replacement was done a second time by a different orthopedic doctor.

Good luck. Worth trying simvisc injections everyone is different.

We moved here from Gainesville, Fl, and I used The Orthopedic Institute. The surgeon that I was referred to, did not agree with surgery, in fact, suggested an injection (this was for my elbow). I did not want cortizon..this was another type of shot that, at the time, wasn't covered by insurance, but only $60 a pop (pardon the pun), and it was expected that I would need a maximum of 3 shots. It only took one, and, in the end, insurance paid for it. My dr is still there, but no longer a surgeon, but I highly recommend that group. It's about 1:15 -1:30 drive, but well worth it, IMO. I am having a different issue now, and am still going to that facility. I was properly diagnosed down here, but incorrect treatment at two places here.

Wow. Had never heard of those. Thanks for info.

Wow. That's so unusual. Good for you, I often hear there's 1-2 years for full pain free recovery.

WOW. Never heard of Prolozone either.

Who did you go to?

Natural substance indeed! In my first encounter with hyaluronic acid in an experimental procedure in 1975, I was told that it was made from rooster combs and human umbilical cords. Who thinks of these things?...

It works for some people, but not all. The shots didn’t work for me, so I too had a knee replaced by Dr. Steve Nguyen (Dr. Winn). I was back playing golf in three weeks.

Knee Injection
 

I can highly recommend Dr John Williams at Advanced Orthopedics (352-751-2862) or Dr Amy Clunn, a physiatrist (352-732-3110).