Viscosupplementation is a treatment of joint degeneration, consisting in intra-articular hyaluronic acid supplementation. Such a procedure increases the viscosity and elasticity of the synovial fluid, nourishes it and increases the slipperiness of the articular cartilage. Is hyaluronic acid effective in the treatment of joints?
CanHyaluronic AcidHelp PatientsWith Arthritis ? Osteoarthritis affects up to 20 percent in many countries. people over 40 years of age. It is a disease that affects mainly people over 50 years of age. A joint degeneration is a slow, developing and progressive impairment of joint function due to overloading over the years. These overloads, the so-called microtrauma, damage and deformation of the joints. They are most often the result of a passive lifestyle (low physical activity, no daily exercise, no exercise) or various injuries. Osteoarthritis is also very common in obese people.
Degeneration of the joint: treatment of osteoarthritis
Fortunately, better, more modern and more effective measures are entering the fight against osteoarthritis. In recent years, hyaluronic acid has been introduced to the treatment of osteoarthritis. It is the main component of synovial fluid. On average, people have 7 to 9 grams of pure hyaluronic acid in their body. Its main feature is the ability to absorb water - it can accumulate 3 times more than its own weight.
Under physiological conditions, hyaluronan (the s alt of hyaluronic acid) is a compound that is synthesized and secreted into the synovial fluid by the cells of the synovial membrane. It determines the visco-elastic properties of the synovial fluid and plays an important role in the proper movement of the joint.
In the course of osteoarthritis, the concentration of hyaluronan decreases. Therefore, it was decided to replace the loss of hyaluronic acid with its synthetic equivalent injected intraarticularly. Viscosupplementation is a method of intraarticular hyaluronic acid supplementation in painless injections, administered at seven-day intervals and repeated three to five times. Such a procedure increases the viscosity and elasticity of the synovial fluid, nourishes it and increases the slipperiness of the cartilagejoint, which improves the biomechanical conditions of the joint. The advantage of hyaluronic acid is that it has almost no side effects.
Joint treatment: how hyaluronic acid works
Currently, there are several products available in the world - hyaluronic acid derivatives. There are a number of publications confirming their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and protective effect on articular cartilage. They are an alternative in the treatment of joints by the use of oral preparations that act symptomatically, i.e. relieving pain in osteoarthritis and glucocorticosteroids.
Treatment of joints by injecting such a preparation allows the stabilization of the chemical structure of the fluid articular. This improves the "lubrication" of the joint, which directly reduces pain and improves the mobility of the affected joint. Often, after the first injection, patients feel a significant improvement in their he alth. However, it should be remembered that the preparation is not an analgesic. Its action is primarily to improve the quality of synovial fluid and articular cartilage, and this effect occurs only a few weeks after the first dose of the drug.
Treatment of a joint: Usually 3 to 5 injections are given at weekly intervals to one joint. The treatment can be safely repeated every few to several months, even when the pain is not very pronounced. The preparation can be used for both knee joints at the same time - we certainly will not exceed the permissible dose of the preparation.
There are practically no side effects when using the preparation, and a properly performed intra-articular injection procedure does not cause pain. There is also no need to spend many hours in the clinic after the surgery. You can return to your daily activities practically immediately after the injection. The drug is well tolerated by allergy sufferers and people chronically ill with heart or respiratory diseases, it causes skin reactions very rarely.