The human knee will bend an average of 1 million times in one year. To aid in all that movement, the knee is filled with a substance called synovial fluid. Synovial fluid acts as a lubricant and shock absorber to cushion the knee joint.

Viscosupplementation is becoming a popular treatment to relieve pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. The process involves a series of injections into the knee joint designed to reduce pain caused by arthritic changes in the joint’s surfaces and fluid.

Sometimes, either through the effects of aging, accident or a disease, such as arthritis, components of the synovial fluid may begin to break down. One such component is hyaluronic acid or HA. In patients with osteoarthritis, the concentration of HA in the synovial fluid is reduced resulting in smaller and less effective molecules. The HA loses some of the lubricating and shock absorbing properties that protect the knee. Researchers believe this can result in joint pain, stiffness and perhaps an onset or worsening of osteoarthritis.

Viscosupplementation is a type of therapy in which the hyaluronic acid in the knee can be augmented through a series of injections. Viscosupplementation will not cure arthritis or repair damaged cartilage in your knee, but it may relieve joint pain for a period of time.

Researchers are not exactly sure how HA injections relieve pain. Theories suggest that the injection of supplemental HA may induce the body to produce its own HA in the knee. Researchers also believe HA may have anti-inflammatory properties, or that the new “lubricant” in the knee protects and soothes the nerve endings exposed by the degraded cartilage of the arthritic knee.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance that is present in not only synovial fluid, but also in the eyeballs, skin and cartilage. When isolated, it is a thick viscous fluid having a consistency similar to an egg white. Viscosupplements use purified HA that is derived from either rooster combs or genetically engineered cells to augment the natural HA in the knee joint.

Viscosupplementation injections are administered in a physician’s office. Injections consist of a series of 3-5 in total, one given each week, directly into the intraarticular knee space. Relief is often felt during the injection series but full effect should not be expected until the injection series is complete. Patients report results in pain reduction and increase in joint mobility lasting from a few months to over a year.

An ultra-pure, natural hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation therapy is ORTHOVISC®. Successful treatment with ORTHOVISC® may help reduce osteoarthritis knee pain, improve joint mobility and increase a patient’s range of motion. To learn more about ORTHOVISC® and see if it might be right for you, please visit www.orthovisc.com.

The viscosupplementation injection is given directly into the knee from a point of the side and under the kneecap. The injections usually take no longer than 15 seconds. Depending on which product your physician prescribes, the administration is either through three or five injections, one each week, taking up to 12 weeks for the injections to take full effect.

You should not receive HA viscosupplementation if you ever had an allergic reaction to any other hyaluronate preparations or are allergic to poultry products. You should not receive the injections if you have an infection or skin disease around the injection area. As with any injection, mild pain may occur at the injection site. You may also have swelling, heat and/or redness, rash, itching, or bruising around the joint. These reactions are generally mild and usually do not last long.