Hyaluronic Acid / Gel Injections
Regenerative Medicine at Integrated Physical Medicine
A Natural Lubricant
Although the name may sound a little scary, your body naturally makes hyaluronic acid. In fact, it is a vital part of the synovial fluid that helps lubricate and cushion your joints. It works as a lubricant, allowing the cartilage covering the ends of your joints to glide against one another. This keeps your joints healthy and moving freely.
Hyaluronic acid is also important because it forms part of the building blocks and nourishment for your cartilage and bone.
No referral necessary.
Who Should Consider Hyaluronan Injections?
Hyaluronan injections are a viable option when other treatments have not worked. Usually, people consider these injections when they have failed exercise, tablets, and cortisone injections. For example, some people can not take common anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen due to stomach ulcers or previous heart attacks.
They are often used to treat knee pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) in patients whose symptoms do not get better with painkillers or non-drug treatments such as heat or ice. In fact, hyaluronic injections are also often tried by people who can not take painkillers like Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), or Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) due to their heart or other issues.
They are also an alternative for patients who can not have (or are not ready for) total knee replacement or other surgeries.
Most insurance companies cover hyaluronic acid /gel injections, including Medicare!
Conditions Treated With Hyaluronic Acid
The most common condition we treat with hyaluronic acid is knee pain and knee arthritis. However, other conditions are also treated including:
Osteoarthritis (OA)
(also known as degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis)
Ankle arthritis
Hip arthritis
Thumb arthritis
Hip impingement
What Are Hyaluronan Injections?
Hyaluronic acid / gel injections are given to add to your body’s natural supply. You may sometimes hear or read about these injections as “viscosupplementation,” which literally means they help the fluid in your joints.
When you have osteoarthritis (OA) in the knees, for instance, the hyaluronic acid in the affected joint gets thinner. Hyaluronic acid gel injections act as a lubricant so the joint works more smoothly. The hyaluronic acid from these injections may also reduce inflammation in the joint and therefore joint pain and swelling.
What to Expect When Getting a Hyaluronic Acid / Gel Injection.
At IPM, our board-certified nurse practitioner will assess your need and qualifications for a hyaluronan injection with you. The nurse practitioner will also administer the injections if it is right for you.
It may take more than one injection for the pain to go away. Depending on your assessment, you may only need a single shot. At most, you may get three to four injections, but spaced a week apart.
In any case, the injection is given the same way. First, the provider cleans the area. If your knee, for instance, is swollen with excess fluid, she may first inject a local painkiller, they must first insert a needle into the joint to withdraw excess fluid. With the same needle still in place, they can usually inject the hyaluronic acid into the joint. Often hyaluronic acid injections are performed in conjunction with platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
After an injection, you should not do any hard weight-bearing activity for one or two days. Otherwise, you should be able to resume normal activities.
What Are The Risks?
Hyaluronan injections have very few side effects. However, some people may have pain, stiffness or swelling in their joint after the injection. There’s also a small risk of infection, just as with any injection procedure.
To learn more, call us or book a consultation online today.
Kelly is a board-certified nurse practitioner with full practice authority in the state of Illinois. She received her BSN in 1999 from St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria, IL. She then received her APN from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL in 2011. Kelly is board-certified though American Nurses Credentialing Center as Adult Nurse Practitioner.
As a nurse practitioner, she is able to compliment IPM’s physical therapy and chiropractic work through internal medicine, primary care and telemedicine. Kelly enjoys helping patients to improve their well-being and quality of life, including the offerings and advancements in the field of regenerative medicine.
Kelly Drudi, MSN, APN-BC
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Regenerative Medicine Services at IPM
The goal of all regenerative medicine is to replace or reboot tissues or organs damaged because of disease, injury, age, or other issues instead of treating symptoms with medication and procedures.
Regenerative medicine is a natural alternative to surgery, pain medications and cortisone/steroid injections. You do not need a doctor’s referral to make an appointment.
At Integrated Physical Medicine, we offer many different treatment forms of regenerative medicine, including:
Hyaluronan Injections Right For You?
If you are in pain or have any of the conditions listed above, contact us to make a quick, easy appointment. No referral necessary. A hyaluronan injection might be the right treatment for you.