Genicular arterial embolisation is a minimally invasive procedure that scientists hope will be able to help give some hope to osteoarthritis patients following a successful trial
A new “miracle” treatment that works by injecting tiny plastic grains into knee joints could give hope to arthritis patients, research suggests.
The minimally invasive procedure, called genicular arterial embolisation, involves inserting a tube through an artery in the groin into the genicular artery and pushing tiny particles through it to block new blood vessels. It only requires a local anaesthetic and leaves little scarring.
Around 40 knee arthritis patients have undergone the treatment as part of a trial by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Reading. Two-thirds of them reported that swelling significantly decreased and more than half said their pain levels improved.
Osteoarthritis, which causes joints to become painful and stiff, is the most common type of arthritis in the UK. The main symptoms are joint pain and stiffness but some people also experience swelling, tenderness, and grating or crackling sounds when moving the affected joints. For some people, symptoms can be mild and may come and go, explains the NHS, but others may experience more severe problems, making it difficult to carry out everyday activities.
Mild symptoms can sometimes be managed with simple measures such as regular exercise, losing weight if you’re overweight, wearing suitable footwear and using special devices to reduce the strain on your joints during everyday activities. Patients experiencing more severe symptoms may need painkillers and a structured exercise plan with a physiotherapist, and in a small number of cases, surgery may be done if the treatments haven’t helped or the joints are too damaged.
Navy veteran Tim Cooper, 67, joined the trial and had genicular arterial embolisation in 2021 as his severe arthritis meant he struggled to climb stairs and was unable to garden or go for walks. However, he said his life has completely changed since the operation, as he told the Daily Mail: “It has made such a big difference to my life. I was in constant pain and it restricted what I could do so much.
“Now it is just the same as the other knee. I have always loved being outside, and I couldn’t walk or garden, doing the things that make life enjoyable. This has given me my life back.”
Professor Mark Little, a radiologist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, said inserting these tiny plastic grains halts the production of chemicals that trigger inflammation, which in turns eases pain and swelling. He explained: “If we can stop these chemical messengers where they are made, our theory is we can halt the inflammation and perhaps pause the disease.
“This can drastically reduce the level of pain and possibly prevent so many people needing knee replacements. While it doesn’t work for everyone, it offers a hopeful and exciting new option.” He added: “The procedure is best for patients with mild to moderate disease, which hasn’t responded to the standard treatment such as painkillers and physiotherapy but whose condition isn’t bad enough for a knee replacement.
“A lot of those who I see are in their fifties and sixties and living with the nightmare of chronic pain. It has a huge impact on their daily lives.” Of the 40 patients who were part of the trial, nine went on to have knee replacements and six were found to be unsuitable for the procedure.
“One patient needed treatment for a blood clot in a vein after being inactive while recuperating, the newspaper reported, but other than that, there were few complications. Scientists are now running a larger study with 110 patients and it is hoped that the research, alongside similar trials in Japan in the US, could pave the way for this treatment to be approved and benefit arthritis patients.
It is estimated that 10 million people – six million women and four million men – in the UK have osteoarthritis. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the average age of symptom onset is 55.
