Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease where the cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones breaks down over time. This causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced mobility in the affected joints, often in the knees, hips, hands, or spine.  

There are several types of joint injections used to treat pain and inflammation:

1. Corticosteroid Injections: These reduce inflammation and provide pain relief in joints like the knees, hips, or shoulders. Expect some relief within a few days, with the effects lasting for weeks or months, though repeated use can have side effects.

2. Hyaluronic Acid Injections: These lubricate the joint and help with movement, often used for osteoarthritis. Patients may experience pain relief within a few weeks, and the effects can last several months.

3. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: PRP uses the patient’s own blood to promote healing and reduce inflammation in the joint. It may take a few weeks to notice improvement, and multiple injections may be needed for the best results.

4. Autologous Stem Cell Injections: Autologous stem cell injection involves using stem cells derived from your own body, typically from bone marrow or fat tissue. These stem cells are injected into a damaged joint or tissue to promote healing, reduce inflammation, and regenerate damaged cells. Since the stem cells come from your own body, there is little risk of rejection. Patients may experience gradual improvement over several weeks, and multiple injections may be needed for optimal results. Expect gradual improvement over time, with the potential for long-lasting relief.

In all cases, the injection is minimally invasive, typically involving local anesthesia, and you may experience mild discomfort or swelling at the injection site for a few days. Most patients can resume normal activities after a short recovery period.

Genicular artery embolization (GAE) is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat pain from degenerative joint disease, especially osteoarthritis. It involves blocking specific blood vessels (genicular arteries) that supply the knee joint with blood, which reduces inflammation and pain. By limiting blood flow to the area, the procedure can help decrease swelling and discomfort, leading to improved function and reduced reliance on pain medications. GAE is typically performed when other treatments, like injections or physical therapy, are not effective, and recovery time is generally short.  

After a genicular artery embolization (GAE) procedure, patients can typically expect:

• Minimal pain during the procedure, as it is done under local anesthesia.
• Some discomfort or swelling around the knee for a few days after the procedure.
• Gradual pain relief over the next few weeks, with many patients experiencing significant improvement in knee function.
• A short recovery period, allowing most patients to resume normal activities within a few days.
• Follow-up appointments to monitor progress and ensure the procedure was effective.

While results can vary, many patients experience reduced pain and increased mobility after GAE, especially when other treatments haven't worked.

Common causes of back and neck pain include:

1. Herniated Discs: Discs between the vertebrae bulge or rupture, pressing on nerves.
2. Degenerative Disc Disease: Wear and tear on spinal discs leads to pain and stiffness.
3. Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal can compress nerves.
4. Osteoarthritis: Wear on the facet joints of the spine causes pain.
5. Muscle Strain: Overuse or injury to muscles supporting the spine.

Various treatments can help manage these conditions:

• Epidural Injections: Steroid injections into the epidural space around the spinal cord reduce inflammation and pain from nerve compression.

• Medial Branch Block is a diagnostic procedure where an anesthetic is injected near the medial branch nerves that supply the facet joints in the spine. This helps determine if these nerves are causing pain in the neck or back. If the injection provides pain relief, it can confirm that the facet joints are the source of the discomfort.

• Radiofrequency (RF) Lesioning is a treatment that uses heat generated by radiofrequency waves to interrupt the nerve's ability to send pain signals. After a medial branch block confirms that the facet joints are the source of pain, RF lesioning can provide longer-lasting relief by targeting and damaging the specific nerves that transmit pain. This can reduce or eliminate pain for several months or even longer..

• Neurostimulators: Devices implanted near the spine send electrical impulses to interfere with pain signals, providing long-term pain relief, especially for chronic conditions.

• Basivertebral Nerve Ablation: A minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to target and treat pain caused by degenerative disc disease, specifically targeting the basivertebral nerve responsible for pain in the vertebrae.

•  Minimally invasive SI (sacroiliac) joint fixation is a procedure used to treat lower back pain caused by dysfunction or instability in the sacroiliac joint, where the spine meets the pelvis. During the procedure, small incisions are made, and a special device is used to insert screws or implants to stabilize the joint. This helps to reduce movement in the joint, relieving pain and improving mobility. Since it's minimally invasive, recovery time is shorter, with less pain and a quicker return to normal activities compared to traditional surgery. It is often recommended when other treatments like physical therapy or injections haven't provided lasting relief.  

These treatments aim to reduce pain, improve mobility, and minimize reliance on medications, with each offering different options depending on the cause and severity of the pain.

A compression fracture of the vertebral body occurs when a bone in the spine (vertebra) collapses, usually due to osteoporosis or trauma, leading to back pain, loss of height, and sometimes a hunched posture.

Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat these fractures. It involves inserting a small balloon into the fractured vertebra to gently restore its height, then filling the space with a special cement to stabilize the bone and reduce pain. This procedure helps to relieve pain, restore spinal alignment, and improve mobility, with a quick recovery time compared to traditional surgery.