Chronic knee pain can interfere with daily activities, whether it develops from gradual wear-and-tear, long-term inflammation, or persistent discomfort after knee surgery.
The most common cause is Osteoarthritis (OA) — a progressive condition where the protective cartilage in the knee breaks down. As cartilage thins, the bones rub together, leading to bone-on-bone friction, inflammation of the synovium (the knee lining), stiffness, swelling, and loss of mobility that typically worsens over time.
Some patients experience Chronic Post-Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) Pain, where symptoms continue months or years after a knee replacement. Unlike pain caused by mechanical implant problems, this type of discomfort often stems from non-mechanical triggers, such as chronic inflammation, abnormal blood flow, or nerve irritation.
Another source of severe and rapid swelling is hemarthrosis, which occurs when bleeding develops inside the knee joint. This can happen after an injury, repeated micro-trauma, or as a complication of surgery.
Different knee conditions; same knee pain signals
Although these conditions differ, they frequently share a common underlying issue: persistent inflammation or abnormal nerve signaling that continues to send pain signals long after the tissue has healed.
At UHealth, our Interventional Radiologists focus on identifying the exact pain source and offering precise, minimally invasive treatments tailored to chronic knee pain.
These options include:
- Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE): A targeted procedure that reduces abnormal blood flow and inflammation contributing to knee pain, especially from osteoarthritis or post-TKA pain.
- Genicular Nerve Ablation (GNA): A focused therapy that interrupts pain signals from irritated or overactive nerves around the knee.
These image-guided treatments are designed to reduce pain, improve mobility, and help patients return to daily activities with less reliance on medication or invasive surgery.
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