Synvisc: Yay or Nay?

[2DogsFarm]

I am tired of walking like Walter Brennan :concern:
A reference those of you using Synvisc or similar will understand

Last year I had 2 rounds of corticosteroid injections for my arthritic knees.
Right is bone-on-bone, left is catching up.
1st time I practically danced from orthopod’s office. All good for the 3mos until Round 2.
2nd was a lot less helpful. Maybe 2 weeks of comfortable movement, then gradually back to Ouch.
I was due for 3rd round in March.
Pandemic made that hard to schedule.
Frankly, I felt I was done with the treatment.

I am ditching Dr who gave me the shots.
He is fine, office staff is not.
Expecting BS & 'tude when I ask for records to go to new doc.

Returning Monday to the surgeon who “treated” a torn meniscus probably 10yrs ago.
Quotes as MRI showed the tear, but instead of immediately suggesting surgery, he said I could decide when/if it was needed.
Tear healed itself so well I can’t recall which knee had it now.

I am wanting next level treatment.
At the Ntl Drive last Fall, I talked with a couple Drivers who had the Synvisc therapy & were very happy with results.
To me, 3-5 weeks treatment, then 6mos of pain-free sounds great.

Anyone here who has had the treatment, please weigh in.
Good?
Bad?
Or???

[Wayne]

I recommend the Synvisc shot. Gave me 6 months of pain free walking. I finally had the knee replaced, but the shots do work. I have a friend who has had it injected several times with excellent results. It doesn’t fix the underlying problem, but you can walk again without pain.

[tikihorse2]

I had Euflexxa, which is the same thing (hyaluronic acid) injected into my painful knee three times. It really does help a lot. The only reason I haven’t had it done again is that my insurance doesn’t cover it any more.

[2DogsFarm]

Great info, thanks!

Funny, stuff we’ve used on horses since the 80s can help me now

My orthopod prescribed diclofenac pills & was surprised when I asked for the topical too & told him about Surpass. :rolleyes:

[ASB_Stars]

I did three rounds of Synvisc, two weeks apart, and it really didn’t give me much relief. I was told that it could go either way. My knees are not bone on bone, but I do have some issues with my meniscus in my right knee. I get the feeling that my orthopedist is simply waiting for me to be in enough pain to come crying to have my knees replaced. I hope he isn’t holding his breath.

[Wayne]

Watch out when taking any kind of NSAID. They can really damage your kidneys if used for a long time or high dosage. Also remember that as we age the kidneys aren’t working at their full potential.

[2DogsFarm]

@Wayne Synvisc is not an NSAID.
I use acetominophen when I use anything for pain relief - also not an NSAID.

[danacat]

I had one Synvisc injection years ago for torn (repaired) miniscus related knee pain that began years after repair. It took a couple of weeks for the Synvisc to kick in – then no pain at all. It’s been six years since that one injection and no knee pain even now. It’s like it cured my knee. Strange but true.

[judmor]

I call Synvisc Jiffy Lube for the knee. It does help a lot, especially since I don’t want surgery.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@2DogsFarm

@Wayne Synvisc is not an NSAID.
I use acetominophen when I use anything for pain relief - also not an NSAID.

But diclofenac is an NSAID. And it is potent. It is not recommended that you take the pills and use the topical at the same time.

Personally I’ve had better results with the pills than the topical, guess it depends on the individual.

[2DogsFarm]

@Obsidian Fire I know, I alternated topical with pills depending on level of Ouch,
Topical helped right away, pills took longer to kick in
Wake up hurting: rub in gel
Anticipate pain later: take pill
And both used only in intervals when taking another pill, applying 8 more grams of gel would have been okay

In any case, the relief from the 1% dosage of either was not cutting it for me.
Also the reason for going back to older orthopod - office staff of more recent doc was snippy and worse, unresponsive when I asked about increasing dosage or alternative drug. No return call after we talked? B’bye.
Hence the desire to “move up” to Synvisc or comparable

[2DogsFarm]

@Obsidian Fire I know, I alternated topical with pills depending on level of Ouch,
Topical helped right away, pills took longer to kick in
Wake up hurting: rub in gel
Anticipate pain later: take pill
And both used only in intervals when taking another pill, applying 8 more grams of gel would have been okay

In any case, the relief from the 1% dosage of either was not cutting it for me.
Also the reason for going back to older orthopod - office staff of more recent doc was snippy and worse, unresponsive when I asked about increasing dosage or alternative drug. No return call after we talked? B’bye.
Hence the desire to “move up” to Synvisc or comparable

[2DogsFarm]

Well Thank you, new & improved BB :mad:
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹My reply to @Obsidian Fire flagged as Spam & “unapproved”

Said I know about using gel with pills & did not use either that way unless the recommended interval had elapsed.
Take pill,12h later use gel
Use gel, take pill 12h later

[trubandloki]

@2DogsFarm

Well Thank you, new & improved BB :mad:
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹My reply to @Obsidian Fire flagged as Spam & “unapproved”

This is not the new and improved site yet. This is still the old site limping along.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I had HA injections in my knees several years ago. I cannot tell you they did/did not make things any better, so I’m going to just say I did not notice any obvious relief.
Is Synvisc supposed to be better? I notice it’s a “one injection” thing as opposed to the 3 in a row I got…

[2DogsFarm]

@Obsidian Fire Synvisc is HA.
The original was also a series of 3.
New formulation - Synvisc One - is a single dose.

[BayBondGirl]

I had Synvisc (the series of 3) done on my knee as a “last resort before surgery” but didn’t get much or any relief that I noticed; ended up going in for surgery anyway. It was my third surgery on that knee due to meniscus damage from a sports injury at 14 years old.

[2DogsFarm]

@BayBondGirl I am doing whatever it takes to avoid surgery.
Sorry you have had to go through so much.
I have friends who have had varying degrees of success with TKR & would like to avoid the potential for setbacks or add’l surgeries.