Arthritis of the Knee: Treating Pain with a Rooster Comb Injection
By: Dr. Matthew Kanaan – Wake Sports Medicine
www.wakesportsmedicine.com
There are many treatments for arthritis pain. Some people take pills, and some people use topical medications. Others might choose to have surgery. For those patients looking for a “natural” treatment for knee pain that does not involve surgery, there is something called a Rooster Comb Injection.
These are done in the office, and are derived from an actual rooster comb. The medication that is made from the rooster is called hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid , also known as viscosupplementation, is used for the treatment of knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and ankle osteoarthritis. Currently it is only FDA/insurance approved for the knee, although studies are currently been performed on all other joints. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring molecule that is normally present in healthy cartilage. In unhealthy or arthritic cartilage, the levels of hyaluronic acids are lower.
These injections can help control pain, provide lubrication, and replace hyaluronic acid in the joint. The injection also stimulates your joint to make more of this important molecule. There are a series of 3 injections , 1 week apart. These injections have been shown to improve pain symptoms in patients. Most insurance will cover the cost of these injections, and for a lot of patients, the injections can prolong or prevent a knee replacement.
