Arthosamid Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis

jones8888

That’s interesting, @mge, that your injured knee is taking longer to respond than the right. I suspect I have some OA in my left (good) knee too - as my ortho says, ‘there’s usually symmetry’. I’m yet to have it x-rayed but it’s been doing double the work (esp on stairs) for a year and is complaining. But like you, the reason my right knee is in such bad shape is trauma: breaks and dislocations, my first at 15. Surprised really that I made it to my mid 50s before pain showed up. I find the instability much harder to cope with mentally than the pain, aches and stiffness. There’s something kind of primeval about your leg just… not working. It’s why I’m still seriously considering TKR this summer, just to have the knee stable. Everything else - recovery, physio, rehab etc - I can work on then with focus. At the moment, I can’t even do a leg extension or leg lift.

jones8888

update: Arthrosamid has stalled. I’m having TKR in May…

mge

sounds like a good decision @jones8888 hope all goes well.

Markt59

I had both knees done on January 16th in London, my left knee is the worst 3 - 4. I have tried Hyaluronic acid and steroid injections in the past. The Hyaluronic acid did help but it was short lived. The Arthrosamid injections were done without steroid just an anesthetic, also guided ultrasound was not used which was a concern to me but I had to make a decision on the spot and as i don't live in the UK and re-arranging would be a nightmare so i went ahead with it.

Its now over 3 months since the injections and i don't feel any improvement at all. I realise it can take some time and i have contacted the clinic that did it and plan to have a zoom consultation next week. I will post anything that comes of that. I do believe in the treatment but I may just be one of the unlucky one that doesn't respond.

jones8888

Sorry to hear that @Markt59. I would think if you’ve had NO benefit in three months it’s probably going to stay that way, unfortunately. The guided ultrasound is vital, so my ortho said. He was certainly very thorough and took his time with it. Good luck with the Zoom and let us know what they say. I’m still only six weeks post-Arthrosamid but I’ve just had the worst two weeks I’ve ever had with my knee. I’m bewildered because the jab definitely did something for the first four weeks. But the last ten days or so it’s been terrible and with NEW symptoms: painful locking, pain radiating up and down my leg, swelling, an intense pain at the back of my knee etc. I saw a different ortho surgeon for a consultation last week and got a TKR date of May 29. That’ll be nearly 11 weeks after Arthrosamid and if it has kicked in in a major way by then, I may cancel. But I do feel like my faith in it has gone (as has my patience with being stuck at home feeling disabled and ancient). Not looking forward to surgery - am a bit terrified 🙄 AND it’s massively expensive - but my life’s passing me by…

Markt59

As you say if it not worked in over 3 months probably not going to. I hope you have some improvement before May 29th and can put off surgery…i think that's all we are trying to do really is to delay the inevitable.

Quality of life matters more than anything!

Hope you have some luck.

jones8888

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/721838#Comment_721838

Thank you. Have you worked out what your next step might be now? I’m curious about the Arthrosamid not working for you: did it do ANYTHING, even in the first week? I’m very confused by my jab cushioning and stabilising my knee joint for about four weeks - from the first night after the injection - and then suddenly stopping. Did it wear off?! I looked at my notes and there was definitely no steroid or additional thing. Did you have NO relief at all? Such a disappointment.

Markt59

Pre jab i didn't have that much pain, just a constant low level ache. More than anything it felt unstable and i felt it could give way at any time, also lack of movement range. I don't think it did anything even in the first week. I am having my consultation on May 10th, The doctor has replied and has said some people need a larger dose ie a top up. I'm not sure about this especially considering the cost and i have to travel to Europe to get it done. I was expecting that a top up may be needed after a couple of years not 3 months!!

I am annoyed at myself for not postponing it until a clinic with guided ultrasound capabilities was available, it always in the back of my mind that the procedure may not have been carried out correctly.

Will post any interetsing info after my consultation.

amandamcl

Hello, I had Arthrosamid in both knees on the 16th April just over three weeks ago. Even though I realise that it is early days, I have been feeling despondent that I have felt no improvement at all. After reading your comments though I understand that it can take significantly longer to kick in than the 2-4 weeks I initially thought. The consultant pointed out that it doesn't work in around 30% of patients, so I knew it was a gamble, but being in a lot of pain I decided to take a chance - even though two injections were horrendously expensive! I had initially enquired about Nstride, but as I have some patchy areas of grade 4 OA the consultant said that Nstride was only suitable for mild to moderate OA. I really hope the Arthrosamide works otherwise there is no option for me other than knee replacements as I want my life back which has been turned completely upside down for the past 8 months due to the level of pain. It has though been a comfort to me to find this community and to read your posts.

jones8888

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/722258#Comment_722258

Hi @amandamcl, welcome. Has the Arthrosamid done ANYTHING at all yet? I had some immediate relief, a little bit of a cushioning and lubricating effect I can only compare to the way a plaster eases the soreness of a cut, or an aspirin helps a headache. It doesn’t take away the pain but takes the edge off. It certainly didn’t mean I could suddenly go for a 30 min walk (or even a 3 min one). Even that effect stopped at four weeks though and my knee deteriorated. At eight weeks now, there’s been no improvement. I’m having TKR in two weeks and am focusing on getting my head into the right place to go through this experience. I’m preparing and getting my game face on. I hope it starts to work for you. But if not, my advice is to be proactive about surgery. Life is short and arthritis is miserable.

amandamcl

Hi @jones8888, thanks for replying to my post. Up until now there is no improvement from the Arthrosamid injections I had 4.5 weeks ago in both knees. I understand that it can take up to 6 weeks to feel an improvement, so I am hoping but finding it increasingly hard to be optimistic. Sorry to hear that it didn't work for you. I have come to the conclusion that you are right to be proactive about surgery as living in constant pain is - as you say - miserable. I am booked to see a knee specialist next Thursday. Wishing you all the best with your TKR and hope it enables you to get your life back.