Two-minute nerve-burning blast can ease pain in creaky knees and help improve mobility 

Two-minute nerve-burning blast can ease pain in creaky knees and help improve mobility

A two-minute nerve-blocking procedure could help improve mobility and pain in those with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The procedure involves destroying a portion of nerve tissue in order to disrupt pain signals, and researchers say it could also help reduce or delay the need for a knee replacement.

Osteoarthritis, commonly known as ‘wear and tear’ arthritis, occurs when the cartilage that provides cushioning between joints wears away, leaving the bone ends to rub against each other. This results in pain, swelling, stiffness and problems with mobility.

A two-minute nerve-blocking procedure could help improve mobility and pain in those with osteoarthritis of the knee (stock image)

It affects nine million in the UK, with the knee the most commonly affected joint. In fact, 20 per cent of the over-45s are thought to have some degree of knee arthritis.

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There is no cure, and the condition is normally managed in the earlier stages with painkillers or steroid injections. But as the damage to the joint increases, a knee replacement is usually required.

There are around 100,000 knee replacements carried out each year, according to National Joint Registry figures.

However, the procedure involves a lengthy recovery, and younger patients may need a further replacement in the future.

The new treatment, known as radiofrequency ablation, may offer another option. It works by stopping the genicular nerves in the knee from sending pain signals to the brain.

BREATH DOCTOR 

What is your breath trying to tell you? This week: A rotten egg smell

A giveaway that you have cavities — holes in the teeth — is the smell of rotting eggs on your breath, says Guy Barwell, a dental surgeon at The Implant Centre, East Sussex.

‘Food or debris can get trapped in cavities, or bacteria may leak under a crown.

‘In these spaces, the bacteria develop their own bio-system and flourish,’ he says. These bacteria produce gases that contain sulphur, which has the odour of rotten eggs.

When there is gum disease, bacteria and inflammation can make the bone push away from the gum, leaving pockets around the tooth where more food can get trapped and bacteria can build up.

If the areas aren’t cleaned properly, these can also produce sulphurous gases and an unpleasant eggy smell.

 

To test whether a patient is likely to benefit, a temporary nerve block is first injected into the knee so that doctors can monitor how successful it is in reducing pain and improving movement.

The treatment itself involves having the needle-like radiofrequency equipment, which is loaded into a catheter (tube), inserted into an artery in the thigh and guided to the knee area using ultrasound. Once in place, two one-minute blasts of 80c radiowaves are fired to destroy a portion of nerve tissue.

Some small studies have shown the ablation treatment is effective, particularly on patients for whom physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory painkillers and steroid injections have provided little benefit. The treatment can cut pain symptoms by 70 to 80 per cent.

Now a trial involving 50 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee is being held at Mansoura University, in Egypt. Some of the group will have the actual treatment, while the others will have a placebo treatment. Doctors will assess the effects on pain and movement for up to six months afterwards.

Previous studies have found that the effects can last up to a year or more and treatment can be repeated if necessary.

Commenting on the research, Roger Hackney, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Spire and Nuffield hospitals in Leeds, said: ‘Any intervention that can extend the time of relative comfort for a patient is likely to be welcome. However, the risks need to be quantified, as introducing a device into an artery is not risk-free. If the pain relief proves to be prolonged, then there is a risk of the osteoarthritis changes to the knee progressing to the stage where surgery becomes more challenging.’ 

Sticking to a healthy diet can slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis, according to a study by Harvard University. 

Researchers monitored nearly 3,000 people in their 60s for three years and compared their diets with their arthritis.

The results showed that those who kept to a traditional Western diet, high in saturated fat and meat, had more X-ray evidence of joint damage than those who had a healthier Mediterranean-style diet. 

The researchers said that their results show that eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, wholegrains, and legumes may reduce the progression of symptoms.

Sticking to a healthy diet can slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis, according to a study by Harvard University (stock image)

Sticking to a healthy diet can slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis, according to a study by Harvard University (stock image)

STRANGE LINKS 

The surprising links between different diseases.

This week: Flu and stroke

Your risk of stroke rises by 40 per cent within 15 days of catching flu — and you’re at a higher risk for a whole year afterwards, according to a 2019 study of 31,000 people by Columbia University in the U.S.

‘There are many theories why the two might be linked, but the main one is what’s known as the coagulation cascade,’ explains epidemi-ologist Professor Amelia Boehme, who led the study.

‘Infections and inflammation can trigger clotting — and clots cause ischemic stroke [the most common type of stroke that is caused by a clot blocking blood flow to the brain].’

So, what lesson should you take from the study? ‘Get your flu vaccination,’ says Professor Boehme.