Knee Osteoarthritis & Chronic Knee Pain

Knee pain that limits walking, climbing stairs, and independence — without surgery

Conditions Treated

Neck Pain
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Back Pain
Knee pain
Buttock Pain
Shoulder Pain
Pain Due To Vascular Diseases
Hip Pain
Cancer Pain And Palliative Care

Overview

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of musculoskeletal disability worldwide, affecting over 250 million people. It is characterised by progressive articular cartilage loss, subchondral bone changes, synovial inflammation, and osteophyte formation. While it cannot be 'cured' short of joint replacement, modern interventional pain management can dramatically reduce pain, slow progression, and delay surgery by years — maintaining quality of life and independence.

Common Symptoms
  • Dull aching knee pain, worse with activity and at end of day
  • Morning stiffness lasting < 30 minutes (distinguishes OA from inflammatory arthritis)
  • Crepitus (grinding, clicking) on knee movement
  • Joint swelling — effusion on examination
  • Loss of full flexion and extension
  • Difficulty climbing stairs and walking long distances
  • Bowing deformity of the leg (varus/valgus) in advanced cases
Common Causes
  • Aging — cartilage degradation exceeding repair capacity
  • Obesity — each kg of body weight = 4 kg load at the knee
  • Prior knee injury — meniscal tears, ACL rupture, fractures
  • Occupational stress — prolonged squatting, kneeling (farmers, construction workers)
  • Inflammatory arthritis progressing to secondary OA
  • Genetic predisposition to articular cartilage vulnerability
  • Malalignment — varus/valgus deformity increasing compartmental stress

Conservative & First-Line Treatment

  • Weight loss programme — 10% weight loss = 50% reduction in knee load
  • Physiotherapy — quadriceps strengthening, vastus medialis oblique (VMO) activation
  • Knee brace / unloader brace for compartmental OA
  • NSAIDs, topical diclofenac, duloxetine
  • Glucosamine / chondroitin supplementation (adjunct)

How Vedant Pain Management Clinic Can Help

Our interventional pain specialists offer the following evidence-based procedures, all performed with real-time ultrasound guidance for precision and safety:

  • Ultrasound-guided intra-articular knee injection — corticosteroid (rapid anti-inflammatory relief), hyaluronic acid (viscosupplementation), or PRP (chondroprotection)
  • Knee Genicular Nerves Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation — ablating the superior medial, superior lateral, and inferior medial genicular nerves for 12–24 months of significant pain relief
  • Ultrasound-guided aspiration of knee effusion for diagnostic analysis and pain relief
  • Diagnostic ultrasound to identify meniscal pathology, medial collateral ligament injuries, and Baker's cyst
  • Pes anserine bursitis injection — commonly co-existing with medial knee OA
  • Pre-surgical pain optimisation and post-surgical pain management

Newer Diagnostic Concepts & Advances

Genicular Nerve Cooled RFA represents a paradigm shift in knee OA management — targeting the three primary sensory nerves of the knee (superior medial, superior lateral, inferior medial genicular nerves) with cooled RFA electrodes to produce sustained denervation. This evidence-based procedure provides 12–24 months of significant pain relief and is now recommended in multiple international pain management guidelines as a bridge to or alternative to knee replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Many patients successfully delay knee replacement by years using a combination of weight management, physiotherapy, intra-articular PRP or viscosupplementation, and Genicular Nerve Cooled RFA. The goal is to maintain quality of life and function until, and if, surgery becomes necessary.

Corticosteroids provide rapid anti-inflammatory relief (2–6 weeks). Hyaluronic acid (viscosupplementation) lubricates and cushions the joint (relief for 3–6 months). PRP delivers growth factors to stimulate chondrocyte activity and slow cartilage degradation — evidence shows superior long-term outcomes, especially in mild-moderate OA.

Cooled RFA uses cooled electrodes to ablate (deactivate) the sensory nerves supplying the knee joint. It does not damage the knee itself — it simply interrupts pain signalling. Clinical trials show 50–80% pain reduction maintained for 12–24 months. The procedure takes approximately 45–60 minutes and is performed under local anaesthesia.

Steroid injections can transiently raise blood glucose for 3–7 days in diabetic patients. At Vedant Pain Clinic, we counsel diabetic patients on monitoring their blood glucose after injection. PRP and hyaluronic acid injections do not affect blood glucose and are preferred for diabetics requiring repeated treatment.

Even patients with severe OA on X-ray can benefit significantly from interventional treatment, particularly Genicular Nerve Cooled RFA, which reduces pain regardless of structural severity by targeting the pain pathway rather than the structural disease. X-ray severity and pain severity do not always correlate.
Meet Our Specialist

Dr. Mohit Gupta

Interventional Pain Physician & Pain Specialist

Dr. Mohit Gupta is a highly experienced Interventional Pain Physician dedicated to helping patients overcome chronic pain and regain a better quality of life. He combines advanced, minimally invasive pain management techniques with compassionate, personalized care.

10+ Years Experience
Advanced Pain Therapies
Patient-First Care
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Dr Mohit Gupta