I recently injured my knee (again). Had a MRI which found torn meniscus, my previous meniscus surgery (different part of meniscus), all ligaments intact, ACL has some damage, and arthritis. Instead of surgery, my orthopedic surgeon is wanting me to do PT and try Euflexxa (similar to hyluronic acid).

Has anyone had the 3-shot series for Euflexxa? How painful were the shots? Did you have any side effects? Did it provide any relief? Was the amount of relief worth the time, money, and discomfort?

I’m fine with needles so that is not an issue.

EDIT: I'm late 40s so save the keystrokes on knee replacements.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,

A guy I play hockey with had them, they worked for him, at least so far, he is about 9 months in. I would certainly try them if they where presented as an option to having a scope and trim. He said they where no worse than a steroid injection, but who knows. If you decide to get them let us know how it goes for you.

I had them when I had worn cartilage resulting in a bone on bone the size of a fingernail.The shots didn't hurt anymore than the cortisone shots I had previously. I only had relief for 23 days and the pain came back just as bad as before the shots. I ended up with a partial knee replacement.

The injections for me were a mind bender because you already hurt and now they are going to stick a needle in your knee. The PA's that did them were really skilled. They were of little and very temporary relief. But they were required before the insurance company would sign off on a replacement.
My situation was not a tear but was the disappearing cartilage. Bone on bone. Replaced both knees three years apart at age 60+/- and never looked back. Should not have waited.

I have bashed up my knees badly my whole life and they have helped me. Insurance approval and series of three injections a week apart. Injections are not bad, it's more the thought of it. Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm late 40s so save the keystrokes on knee replacements.

I've had it done twice, several years ago now. The first time it helped quite a bit, the second, not so much. Not sure why. I elected not to do it a third time (also because my insurance company balked at paying for it the 2nd time so it cost me something like $1600 out of pocket). I'm 61 now and blew out the meniscus in one knee when I was 19 (football). I've always had something of a phobia about doctors (more specifically, surgery) so I never had anything done about until it got really painful. It's down to bone-on-bone now and I wear an aluminum brace whenever I leave the house. At some point I'm looking at replacement surgery, but I'm putting that off as long as I can.

I have had it done several times. I go to a sport's clinic that works with several universities and lots of high schools. The PA that has done my injections is a pro and I have never felt any pain at all.

Had it about 4 months ago, had some improvements in 24 hours, and it still feels better than before the injection. Personally it seemed worse than cortisone going in. It is vert viscous

Your collagen declines as you age so you can prevent or prolong knee and hip replaces. I started using the Living Well Labs brand. It takes about 10 days to get the product.

https://livewell-labs.com/product/collagenpeptides

Some collagen contains hyaluronic acid.

https://vitauthority.com/produ...VC3WQIxoCTiEQAvD_BwE

At your age, your collagen is down to about 60 percent.

I'm 38yo duty disabled cop. I've had three surgeries on my right knee. What started as a torn meniscus ended my career. I had a lateral meniscectomy to repair a tear that happened when I slipped on ice getting out of my squad car (right leg was on the floorboard of the squad, and my left leg was outside the car and slipped causing me to fall and twist on my right knee). The surgeon noted that there was a defect on the end of my femur. Once the meniscus was removed, I was bone on bone. After significant pain during rehab, I ended up having a tibial osteotomy and osteochondral allograft (basically the surgeon placed cadaver cartilage where the defect was and sawed through about 3/4 of my tibia and placed a wedge in the opening to change the angle of the joint). A second opinion was to have a knee replacement at 32yoa. After being non-weight bearing for 12 weeks and significant rehab for over a year, the hardware was removed and the joint space was cleaned up due to pain and some irritation being caused by the hardware.

I still have significant pain and while I received very minor relief with steroidal injections, the damage they can cause long term (multiple steroidal injections can deteriorate cartilage) and short duration of relief given by them make them a poor treatment course. I've had two rounds of the visco-suppliments. I started with Gel1. While its a larger load, its only one injection and I saw about 5 months of relief from it (mostly relieving the aching that was causing sleep disturbance at night). After having the Gel1 7 months prior, I scheduled an appointment for another (insurance will usually cover the viscounts-supplliments every 6months). This time the Gel1 was denied, but Euflexxa was approved.

The first Euflexxa injection was uncomfortable. The second injection a week later just about caused me to have to get wheeled out in a wheelchair. The third injection a week later was about 2/3s as bad as the second. I have significant scar-tissue buildup in the knee, and I'm sure this was part of the issue. I can say however, that after 1.5-2months the Euflexxa basically wore off to the point that the Gel1 had after 5-5.5months. We are trying to stave off a knee replacement as long as possible. I'll keep trying to get Gel1 first so long as it's helping and its covered. Sorry for the long answer, but it seems like some background might help answer subsequent questions.