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If you have been having chronic knee pain from arthritis/inflammation please read this.
First, I consider myself a high pain tolerance person. For scale I don’t bother with pain medication after surgery etc.
In the summer of 2024 I tore my meniscus while power walking with a heavy vest. I first noticed an issue since my knee was swelling up and there was low pain while walking. After going to the doctor it was confirmed that I needed a 1 stitch repair.
Being no stranger to surgery (2x shoulder, bicep, elbow) I quickly scheduled it for Nov 24.
After surgery was the post painful experience of my life. Due to only needing one stitch the recommendation was start walking immediately. My knee was swollen, my quad stopped working, and it was brutal pain.
Fast forward a year and the pain was still persistent and walking was a daily challenge. I could walk, but the pain just grinds on you. Going back to the doctor and getting X-rays showed that the surgery had enhanced arthritis in my right knee and recommended a partial knee replacement.
I asked what alternatives were available and we landed on trying PRP treatment. This seemed to make the pain worse and the knee brace they recommended also did not help.
This was very defeating because at 48 years old I’m too young to be thinking replacements and just a year ago I was perfectly fine and still performing at an athletic level (working out, golf, softball, etc).
To describe the pain, it was on a 6-9 scale and would be a sharp jab every time I took a step. If I overused it one day, the next few days would be unbearable pain (but you just deal with it). Chronic pain kills your mood, increases brain fog, and just makes life miserable. Whiskey was my go to.
Then one night I was having the guys over for Golden Tee night and my buddy who happens to be a radiologist started talking about a new procedure that I’d be a great candidate for Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE).
Having nothing to lose I did some quick research and scheduled the procedure immediately. Basically what GAE does is block the pain and your body creating white blood cells in response to the arthritis in which your body is never going to win (inflammation).
After surgery the entry site was a bit painful and some stiffness in my leg area (like a cramp). A week post surgery there was a significant reduction in pain and I thought “holy shit this might work”.
Two weeks later (this morning) I have absolutely no pain, stiffness, or soreness. I can’t explain the feeling of going from chronic pain to nothing. It’s one of the best feelings on earth and inspired me to write this. I’m going to be telling anyone I can about it because pain is no laughing matter. The benefits of this surgery are suppose to last up to 5 years so I will continue to update everyone on my progress but so far it’s a life changer.
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