Needles in your knee

Yup. That pretty much visualizes it.

Today I got my second round of injections into my knee and I am still alive to talk about it. It's actually not that bad, I must say. It's almost like going to the dentist but a lot shorter and a lot more comfortable. Let me start with summarizing what treatment I am getting.

As explained last time I was diagnosed with grade 1-2 arthritis in my right knee, i.e. the cartilage is worn down and too thin to provide enough cushioning between the bones and the knee cap. That can cause all kinds of uncomfortable pain in my knee after running, prolonged bending of my knees, etc. Luckily, there is that stuff called Euflexxa on the market that provides artificial lubrication for cases like mine. There are a few downsides to it, though. 1) It is quite expensive, almost $2,500 per treatment (which is covered 100% by my insurance - lucky me), 2) one treatment consists of one doctor visit, i.e. injection, per week for three consecutive weeks, 3) it needs to be injected via needle into my knees, and 4) it only lasts for six months after which the whole process needs to be repeated. The time between treatments can be extended if I decided to become less active but while I want to keep running it is suggested to follow the recommended treatment schedule.

So, when I come into my doctor's office I am asked to lie down with a wedge under my legs that keep my knees bent in a more or less 90 degree angle. Wait, not true. I have to sign a consent form first that relieves the doctor from all kinds of responsibilities for certain problems such procedure can cause - business as usual. The first thing the doctor will do is to sterilize the surface of my knee and then apply cold to numb the skin around the injection site. Then he will inject lidocaine to block the nerves on the side of the knee. This is probably the most uncomfortable part of the entire procedure and, not unlike at the dentist, you will feel a tiny bit of pain and some burning sensation when the drug goes in. In my case, most of the "drama" plays in my head (my dad used to call this "Kopfkino") and I am always lying there, waiting (instead of going to my "happy place") for any kind of pain to surprise me and make me jump up, swearing like a sailor. It never happens, though. All the nervousness for absolutely nothing. Once the knee is numb, which is a matter of seconds and feels absolutely nothing like lidocaine in your mouth, i.e. it doesn't feel weird or anything worthwhile to report, he takes a second syringe, the one with the Euflexxa, and injects it in that same area. I kind of looked when this happened the very first time and seeing a syringe sticking out of your knee does look a bit amusing. The doctor told me that there are certain spots on the knee that are perfect for this kind of injection because there are no tendons or muscles to puncture through, and I agree with this, because I have felt very little soreness afterwards. Since I am getting this done for both knees the same happens for the second knee as well. Last but not least he bends my knees up and down for a while to redistribute the gunk he just put in there and you can actually hear it move around. It's hard to describe what kind of sound it makes but with the sensation of what's going on inside the knee it made it sound like somebody is popping bubble wrap very quietly. The whole thing takes less then 30 minutes and I am out of there quickly.

It is probably too soon to tell if it actually does anything good, but I must say that my knees do feel quite a bit better than before. The 4.5 miles I ran two days after my first injection felt really good. No pain in the beginning, during, or after the run. It was pure bliss. At this point I want to credit the physical therapy and the injections for that.

I will get my third and last round of injections at the end of next week and I will report back over the next few weeks or months what difference it made. Stay tuned.

Next race up: The Dawg Dash 5k on Saturday. My wife will be doing registration, handing out bibs, and refreshments.

Keep on running!