Arthrosamid

I know this is an old thread but has anyone tried Arthrosamid yet?

I had my right knee treated with this exactly one year ago and have been disappointed with the results. I'm a bit concerned about the way it was administered to be honest. I did not receive a local anaesthetic and the consultant did not use ultrasound when injecting my knee. According to the makers of Arthrosamid both are required when administering the injection. I now don't know whether the poor results are down to the product or the way it was administered. I would love to hear from someone else who has been treated with Arthrosamid.

I’M TRYING ARTHROSAMID: I have severe OA in both knees, am in constant pain and have very limited mobility as a result. I also have a form of autoimmune inflammatory polyarthritis, which aggravates the OA symptoms. I’ve been told by the NHS knee clinic at UCLH that I need total knee replacements. But I’m (only) 56 years old and want to wait as long as possible as the official life of a new joint is only 15 years.

My consultant has offered to put me on the waiting list now, but I’ve decided to try Arthrosamid privately first. I asked the NHS team about it and they’re fully aware of it and say several of their patients have tried it, and then when it works it can give up to 3 years of pain relief. NICE hasn’t yet approved it for the NHS as there isn’t enough long-term performance data. It’s been licensed for use in human knees since 2017, but the actual chemical material used in the injection has been used for other medical applications in people for over 20 years, so they know it’s safe at least.

I spoke to a Professor Paul Lee from Lincoln University, who is the orthopaedic specialist who first introduced Arthrosamid to the UK and who has therefore done the most injections. He says it has around a 70% success rate and that they believe it has a different action to other visco-supplementation injections, in that it binds to the synovium and blocks the action of inflammation on the joint. I am so debilitated and restricted by my knees that I’m prepared to give it a try. As far as I can understand, it will either work or not but is unlikely to do any collateral damage. I’m scheduled to have it done in early January and am happy to report back on my experience if anyone is interested.

Hi Fluffball

I had the bilateral Athrosamid injections done on Friday in London, which is where I live so a bit more difficult to shop around! But if it does what they say it will, it’s worth every penny to me.

The protocol is thorough - first some IV antibiotics as a prophylactic against infection. Then on each side the consultant gave 2 shots of local anaesthesia, one shallow and one deep. Using ultrasound he then drained out synovial fluid from the joint then injected some steroid to reduce potential inflammation, followed by 6ml of Arthrosamid gel per knee. He topped it off with a further half dose of steroid and that was it. The anaesthetic was the most painful stage, but once I was numb my knees felt a bit tight but way more comfortable than normal. I was able to walk easily out of the surgery and down steps without any problems, and my knees felt amazing for the next 6 hours or so. The whole procedure took about 30 mins.

Once the local wore off I got a few pins and needles, but nothing significant. The following morning I had some minor aches, but my knees feel much better than usual with the swelling visibly reduced. I suspect this early response is down to the fluid drainage and the steroid, as the consultant said the Arthrosamid will take about 2 weeks to start to bind to the joint lining. He expects the benefits to start from 2-3 weeks and then to improve over the next 3 months or so. At the 3 month mark, people typically have the best effect they’re going to get. He told me the success rate is around 70% of people experience significant pain reduction for 1-3 years. For the remaining 30% it doesn’t work at all.

Hopefully this is the start of some proper improvement. Fingers crossed!