KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: NON-SURGICAL PAIN RELIEF

Jul 24 , 2020 | 1 min read

Knee osteoarthritis is a common cause of knee pain amongst the aging population. It can be very painful and debilitating, sometime confining individuals to bed. The main problem in osteoarthritis is wear and tear of the joint cartilage resulting in friction between the bones during movement and pain as a consequence.

What can be done for chronic knee pain?

Initial management involves lifestyle modification, weight management, physiotherapy and simple pain killers.

Cooled Radiofrequency treatment has recently become available in India. It offers a safe, effective non-surgical, minimally invasive option for patients who are either

Not keen on surgery,
Not fit for surgery or
Have persisting pain after knee replacement surgery

Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation.

This arthritis knee treatment aims to deactivate the nerves responsible for transmitting pain signals from the painful knee. The procedure involves placing special needles close to these nerves under x ray and ultrasound guidance with no requirement for any surgical incisions. This is followed by creating a heat lesion around the nerves using special types of radio waves. This reduces the pain signals being transmitted resulting in prolonged pain relief.

It is a day care procedure performed under local anaesthesia with no requirement for hospital stay or prolonged rehabilitation. Normal activities can generally be resumed soon after the procedure with little or no recovery time. Less pain can lead to improved functionality and reduced medication requirements.