Arthosamid Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis

kitkat

Hi everyone, I have just joined the group as I wanted to hear from others about their experiences with Arthrosamid. I has bilateral injections just over 5 weeks ago. I have had a bit of a mixed bag of highs and lows. After about 3 weeks I felt there was good improvement in my right knee (my right knee was the one with severe pain and X-rays showed OA was at stage 4) and was sleeping better. However the past week I have had a lot of throbbing pain in my right knee and quite a lot of crunching and clicking. Has anyone else experienced this and still gone on to gain good results?
I am desperate for the injections to be a great success for me as the pain has had a huge impact on my life so feeling a bit despondent at the moment. Any comments or advice welcomed. Thanks

MaryL44

Hello @kitkat  and welcome to the Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience as well.

Our website is a mine of information so do look at it.

As you can see from this long thread, our members have vast experience so I'm sure you'll get some useful information!

Please keep posting now you are here and let us know how you are getting on.

Best wishes

Mary

frogmorton

Hi @kitkat

Myself I am reserving judgement about arthosamid for now.

I am so sorry it hasn't been the miracle cure you were hoping for, but if you read back through the thread you'll see the results seem very hit and miss. The price of the treatment is very high too.

If you can spare the time it would be helpful for other people in the future to see how you got on.

Take care and I really hope things pick up for you soon

Toni x

Pithy_username

Hi @kitkat and everyone else on this thread. I had bilateral Arthrosamid back in January and thought I’d chip in with an update. I agree with others that my experience didn’t reflect the speedy results suggested by the drug company’s promotional material, which was very disappointing and frustrating at the time. However, it’s now been 7 months since my treatment and I am extremely happy with the outcome.

I have stage 4 OA in my right knee and 2/3 in my left. Before the treatment I couldn’t stand up for more than about 5 mins without significant bone pain or walk unaided for more than 10 mins without a break, my right knee frequently either stuck or gave way and both knees were visibly and constantly swollen. The pain regularly disturbed my sleep (and my days) and I was advised that my only NHS option was TKR surgery. My knee pain is now either absent or so muted that I can ignore it most of the time. I can stand for an hour or more, which means I can now prepare a meal comfortably, do housework, go shopping and visit exhibitions - which I had not been able to do for months. Although I still use a walking stick when I’m out on my own, I can get around London fairly easily on public transport and can walk as much as I need to for daily activity. If I push too hard then my knees will hurt and my symptoms will flare, but the flares are less severe and much shorter than before. I go to the gym and to pilates classes. My pain and symptoms are much easier to manage and I feel as if the clock has been turned back about 4 years on the progression of my arthritis.

Arthrosamid seems to have lubricated and cushioned the inside of my knee joints, mitigating the lack of cartilage, bone spurs etc, so that the damage is less painful. I’d say that it’s a slow burn treatment. Don’t expect to have the injections and immediately feel better. My surgeon explained that the gel binds to the synovial lining of the joint and blocks the action of inflammation, as well as providing cushioning. I can only suppose that this binding action takes time. It took several months for me to start to feel a real benefit, but for me it has definitely been worth it and has given me back considerable quality of life. Best wishes to everyone considering it.

kitkat

Hi Pithy_username, thanks so much for taking the time to explain your journey with Arthrosamid. I’m definitely keeping an open mind as I know it’s early days. It’s very encouraging to hear that you are happy with the overall outcome. So would you say with your own experience that six weeks post injections is still very early to have pain reduction etc.

I will keep updating as time goes on as hopefully this will help others that might be considering injections.

Thanks again 😊

kitkat

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/724571#Comment_724571

Hi Toni,

Thanks for your message on this thread. I will definitely keep updating with my progress in the hope it helps others.
Thanks again. 😊

Pithy_username

@kitkat - at 6 weeks post-injection I was also quite despondent and wasn’t sure whether it had worked or not. It took 3+ months for me to start to feel that it hadn’t been a waste of time & money, and the improvements continued after that. So don’t give up hope!

kitkat

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/724611#Comment_724611

Hi Pithy_username,

Thanks for your posting again and giving me hope. I will keep posting with updates and hopefully things will improve slowly 😊

trish1974

Got my first appointment for my knee I'm so worried they are going to suggest injections I have a terrible fear of needles also is there any strap I can use to help with knee pain

kitkat

Hi trish1974,

Before I had my Arthrosamid injections I sometimes used a sleeve knee support. It helped to decrease pain short term but not a long term fix. Hopefully after your appointment your doctor/consultant with advise you on the right route for you. To be honest the injections were no problem at all, but fortunately I am ok with needles. Good luck with your appointment.

Dodgyknees99

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/724650#Comment_724650

They give you a local anesthetic before administering the Arthrosamid so you feel very little pain during the procedure, more a mild discomfort. There is a bit of discomfort afterwards, I have a little swelling and a tiny amount of discomfort 9 days later, but at no point did I need to take pain killers for this. I hate having injections in my joints, but this wasn't too bad.

mge

hi all. I updated but on the wrong thread so apologies if you’ve seen this already. Anyway, a reminder - I had arthrosamid in both knees in March. Good progress in my right but little in my left which was very frustrating and hard to comprehend. In June I had a top up in my left of a half dose which didn’t do much for 7 weeks and then, in week 8, I woke up one morning to find it had stopped clicking and even better largely stopped hurting.
i am in a lot less pain, more mobile and on greatly reduced painkillers. It was quite a sudden improvement compared to the more gradual initial injection.
i would encourage anyone who’s having uneven progress to explore a top up.

Dodgyknees99

It is a day short of 7 weeks since I had Arthrosamid injections in both knees.

To echo others experience, apart from the first week when the knees temporarily felt a bit better there was no improvement whatsoever up until about week 5. Since then I would say there has been a gradual improvement, at first imperceptible but I am pretty confident that my knees are now improving.

I am seeing the consultant in another 5 weeks, this is an extra appointment to that planned and we will see then whether I need the top up. I am hopeful this won't be necessary.

I really think the blurb that goes with Arthrosamid should be updated because it shows a large improvement within the first 4 weeks, which anecdotally is not the case. It's depressing to get to 4 weeks and feel no improvement if you were not expecting this.

Dodgyknees99

I've just seen the consultant again as it is just under 3 months from the injections. To cut a long story short the improvement has been minimal and because of this the consultant said I wouldn't qualify for a free top up. Having had such a minimal improvement I can't see the point either. Certainly I can't see the point in paying for more injections. I wish I was part of the supposed 94% of people in my age group who saw an improvement (or perhaps I am as that includes those who experienced a minimal improvement), but there you go.

Essentially I am out of non surgical options, the consultant provided two options, a osteotomy and a partial replacement. The former seems pointless as there is hardly any cartilage left and it because it would need to be bilateral and done separately I would be on crutches for months with a total recovery time of at least a year. So it looks like its going to be bilateral partial replacements for me. On the bright side he said the medial and lateral joints of both knees are in a very good condition.

frogmorton

Oh @Dodgyknees99

I am so disappointed for you😕 I really don't think we've had a lot of really positive reports on this forum you know. I doubt that supposed 94% too but as you say it may be those with a tiny bit of improvement. Much use that is🙄

I hope you'll keep posting though and let is know how you get on with your double partial knee replacements? Really good that the medial and lateral joints are strong that should really help your recovery.

Sorry again

Toni x

Dodgyknees99

Thanks.

I think the knees were just too far gone, its full on bone on bone across a large section of the patella on both knees. Perhaps if I'd had the injection two or more years ago it might have worked better. Or perhaps the success rate for patellofemoral arthritis is lower than medial/lateral knee arthritis?

To be honest it was refreshing for a consultant to speak about replacements. The other 3 specialists I have seen were dead set against it, even though they didn't provide any alternative other than activity reduction. Quite what activity to reduce when you've given up walking further than from the train station to the office and the only aerobic outdoor exercise option you have is short cycle rides is beyond me.

As the specialist said it's an irrevocable option so I am going to think about it for a few days, but its a bit of a no brainer I think.

Dodgyknees99

As an aside, if I break down my experience of Arthrosamid into what I have experienced subjectively and what I can measure objectively it as as follows.

Subjectively, there is less stiffness after a period of inactivity, such as sitting down for a long period of time, or getting up in the morning. The knees feel more normal, more of the time than they did. However, it is like a thin veneer, I went into the office on two consecutive days last week which involves a round trip walk of about 3 miles from the train station. I also tackled some stairs. On the third day my knees were about as sore as they'd have been without the treatment by my estimation.

Objectively, I can still cycle and if I keep the ride down to less than 2 hours my knees don't get too sore even though there are a lot of hills where I live. I use Strava and this measures the time I take on certain parts of the route, known as "segments". I have Strava data going back 4 years. If I cycle to the limit of discomfort (which is the limiting factor on hills, not me getting breathless) then I can compare my times for these segments with before the treatment. This shows no improvement since the injection. So based on this objective measure the improvement from the injection is zero.

If you are very inactive then based on my experience you may feel that the injection is worth having, but if you have patellofemoral arthritis and want to stay active then based on my experience it may not help. Certainly I am not able to do any of the activities I have given up - running, hill walking - these are as far out of my grasp now as they were 3 months ago.

frogmorton

Yes I think you can see where you're heading, but some thing like this you do need to get your head around.

About 10 years ago it was all stem cell injections too they cost an arm and a leg and a few people here tried them without much success. It's different to try something like a health food or a gel which costs maybe £20 at the most, but these sort of procedures cost so much.

Good luck and do let us know how you get on

Toni

Dodgyknees99

As an aside, if I break down my experience of Arthrosamid into what I have experienced subjectively and what I can measure objectively it as as follows.

Subjectively, there is less stiffness after a period of inactivity, such as sitting down for a long period of time, or getting up in the morning. The knees feel more normal, more of the time than they did. However, it is like a thin veneer, I went into the office on two consecutive days last week which involves a round trip walk of about 3 miles from the train station. I also tackled some stairs. On the third day my knees were about as sore as they'd have been without the treatment by my estimation.

Objectively, I can still cycle and if I keep the ride down to less than 2 hours my knees don't get too sore even though there are a lot of hills where I live. I use Strava and this measures the time I take on certain parts of the route, known as "segments". I have Strava data going back 4 years. If I cycle to the limit of discomfort (which is the limiting factor on hills, not me getting breathless) then I can compare my times for these segments with before the treatment. This shows no improvement since the injection. So based on this objective measure the improvement from the injection is zero.

If you are very inactive then based on my experience you may feel that the injection is worth having, but if you have patellofemoral arthritis and want to stay active then based on my experience it may not help. Certainly I am not able to do any of the activities I have given up - running and hill walking - these are as far out of my grasp now as they were 3 months ago.

amandamcl

This is an update as it is now five months since I had Arthrosamid injections in both knees. Around week 5/6 I found a slight improvement so remained optimistic that the knees would continue to improve, particularly as the consultant said they had noted improvements up until six months. Unfortunately the improvement didn't continue and in my case the injections really didn't live up to expectations. I had been told beforehand that they only work in 70% of cases so knew there was a risk - but when you are in pain you feel it is a risk worth taking. Reading other people's accounts it would seem that many have had the same experience as me. For a treatment that costs £5,000 for the injections plus three visits to the consultant, this is disappointing. Hopefully others will have a more positive experience.

Dodgyknees99

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/727056#Comment_727056

I saw my GP this morning and he has agreed to refer me to a specialist with a view to getting knee replacements. In fact, I was all prepared to justify this (you would definitely not think that I have any knee issues if you saw me) as I sat waiting 15 minutes over the appointed time to see him. But in fact he'd been reading the copious notes from various specialists during this time and he preempted anything I was going to say by telling me he would refer me, mainly on the basis that I've tried absolutely everything. This will obviously save me a great deal of money as going privately for 2 knee replacements would not be cheap, but it also gives me some validation as the last two people I've seen (the GP and Consultant who I saw regarding Arthrosamid) don't think I am completely mad wanting replacements, as opposed to the 3 other consultants I've seen who did.

How does Arthrosamid fit into this? Well its 4 months since my treatment and in my view if you are not particularly active Arthrosamid may work out ok for you. There is definitely less swelling and less stiffness and day to day activities are easier. However, it has only improved areas that weren't too bad before. Other activities, such as going down stairs are really no better and I still think overall my knees are deteriorating, even if the treatment masks this to an extent.

So if you are considering Arthrosamid and consider the outlay reasonable then by all means try it, I don't regret taking it. If your experience is like mine it will help mild activity, but don't expect a miracle (bearing in mind I have patellofemoral issues only, whereas most people have tibiofemoral issues, so it might be completely different for those).

shrimpete

I had an Arthrosamid injection about 2 months ago and thought I would share my experience. I had a right knee replacement 2 years ago and though it works I have considerable numbness from the top of the knee to about 3 inches below the knee and it’s very uncomfortable to kneel on it. So when my left knee became very stiff and I could no longer pedal a bike I really looked hard for other options of treatment beside a replacement. I read about hydrogels and in particular Arthrosamid. My orthopedic doc said I had nothing to lose giving it a try. So I saw Professor Lee at MSK. The procedure as it has been described here was really smooth. I walked out of the clinic, iced a couple times a day and never had any swelling. On day 9 after the injection I got on a bike and was able to pedal with ease. It was amazing. I have no pain in my knee and continue to bike with ease. On cold mornings and when weather systems come through I do have some stiffness but overall most of the time my knee feels completely normal.

Giselle1402

Hi everyone.

Can I ask, please? Is this procedure the same as the Nstride injection?

Thanks

PJoanne

Hello @Giselle1402

I think that they are different injections, the Nstride is ' an injection of good proteins harvested from your own blood' and the  Arthrosamid is a 'non-biodegradable hydrogel that is injected into the knee to cushion the joint and relieve pain.'

best Joanne

Giselle1402

Thanks for clarifying that Joanne. I've been told to try the Nstride injection - it's expensive though. I'm trying physio first before I consider this form of treatment.

Thank you to everyone here for sharing their experiences with the injections.