My wife and I have both dealt with bad knees over the years. I was an athlete and injured my knees as a teenager. Thankfully, they were never injured enough to have immediate surgery, but they just got worse over the years. I have had x-rays and MRIs, and my right knee has a torn meniscus, my left is damaged also, but not as bad. My wife's right knee also has a torn meniscus and has caused her a lot of pain over the years.
Over the years we both have had doctors tell us that surgery was the only way to permanently fix the problem. Neither of us wanted to do surgery as we knew that these operations did not always solve the problem and could actually make them worse (that is probably no longer true).
It is amazing all the new treatments they have for bad knees now. I have heard of an 'injectable' they are using now that completely illuminate the pain and the relief will last for months if not years. I cannot recall the name of the product they use, and it may already be mentioned in a post above.
We plan to have Synvisc (Info below) injections. My wife and I have talked with others that have had these shots and they say they worked very well. We are waiting another six months or so to make sure that these 'others' still till us they are working.... but it sounds like they will last a long while...
What is Synvisc-One made from?
The injection contains a gel-like mixture made from a substance called hyaluronan (pronounced hy-al-u-ROE-nan) that comes from chicken combs.
Hyaluronan is a natural substance found in the body and is present in very high amounts in joints. The body’s own hyaluronan acts like a lubricant and a shock absorber in the joint and is needed for the joint to work properly.
How do I know if I’m ready for Synvisc-One?
Synvisc-One is for people with knee osteoarthritis who have not received enough pain relief from diet, exercise and over-the-counter pain medication. If you’ve tried these options and are still feeling knee pain, tell your doctor and ask if Synvisc-One could help.