Do My Knees Need a Lube Job?

If your car creaks and moans as you drive over bumps it may be time for a lube job. Many of us have similar creaking and moaning coming from our knees as we go over bumps. Does that mean we need a pit stop and a lube job for our knees as well? Perhaps.

As we all age there is natural wear and tear that occurs in the knees. Cartilage begins to break down and hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring gel in the body that is part of the synovial lining in the knee, begins to thin, resulting in less lubrication in the joint. As a result, there is usually associated with this increased inflammation, stiffness, and pain.

Viscosupplementation, or the injecting of hyaluronic acid (a gelatinous product), is generally not considered until the patient has tried and failed other options to treat their knee pain, such as cortisone injections. During viscosupplementation, your provider injects a type of hyaluronic acid into the knee joint. There are several types of hyaluronic acid supplements currently on the market. Please schedule an appointment at Advanced Spine and Pain to discuss which of these would be best for your situation.

If your knees are creaking and your osteoarthritis has not responded to typical cortisone injections, it may be time to pull in for a pit stop at ASAP and get those knees lubricated. Upon doing so, you may find your knees feeling good for about six months or 3000 miles, whichever comes first.