When is the Right Time for GAE?

There are a lot of treatment options when it comes to OA, choosing the right one for you may be difficult, but it is important to know the right time to move onto the next one. As the condition escalates, it becomes harder to find sources of pain relief. Here we explain to you at what point in your journey you should start to consider getting a GAE procedure:

Lifestyle Changes

The first method of treating knee osteoarthritis that is recommended is weight loss and physical therapy. Losing even a small amount of weight, if necessary, can decrease the knee pain from OA. Doing exercise to strengthen the muscles around the knee can make the joint more stable and decrease pain. Stretching and physiotherapy can also keep the joint mobile and flexible. These treatments may only work for mild or early stages of knee OA.

Painkillers

If physical therapy is no longer working the next option is generally pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs. This includes over the counter medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen. These should only be used for short term relief and once they begin to lose their effect, people move onto prescription medications to help ease the pain.

Injections

Injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid into the knee are the next treatment option. Corticosteroids are a type of anti-inflammatory drug that can be injected into the knee to help with inflammation. Injections every few months can cause pain relief for a relatively short period of time. Hyaluronic acid injections lubricate the knee joint to help reduce stiffness.

GAE

If you have mild to moderate knee OA and the standard methods of treatment have been used but are not helping you feel any relief from you knee pain, but are not ready for knee surgery, it may be the right time for you to consider getting a GAE procedure. GAE is a minimally invasive procedure that has the potential to delay or eliminate the need for knee surgery.

Surgery

Once you have tried all other options the final step is knee replacement surgery. Surgery can help reduce knee pain and improve mobility but is generally a last resort as it is an invasive procedure with a substantial recovery time. Getting a knee replacement also limits any other treatments you might want to try in the future.