SYNVISC

[puffingirl]

I've been considering Synvisc myself, but after everyone's posts, I'm leaning towards not doing it.  It just sounds like there's not enough good stuff in the risk/reward balance.   :-/  Sorry that so many of you haven't had the relief you were hoping for...  I hope medical technology has some good breakthroughs soon!

[westview5579]

I know a man who has no meniscus left and synvisc works great for him. He gets his shots just once a year, with very good results. I have knee cap issues and mal-tracking so don't let that scare you off they are worth a try. From what I have read it seems to work better for your kind of problem.
Sheila

[enuff81020]

I also know somebody who has had great relief with SynVisc.  This is an older lasy--late 60's who was headed for a tkr.  she had SynVisc and has indefinitely put off the surgery--she bowls, dances, and is having the time of her life.

There really are no guarantees.  I had short term relief from SynVisc and personally think it is worth the effort--because it is a lot easier to handle and recuperate fromt han surgery  Sylvia

[ruby2zdy]

I should have said in my earlier post (last one, page 2) that my doc said that sometimes the effect doesn't kick in till 6 weeks or so.  I guess the SYnvisc does something in there -- interacts with the tissues -- other than provide a thicker fluid.  I haven't been doing anything that would test out whether my Synvisc injections have helped or not.  I do still get some knee pain from what I am doing, but I kind of backed off what I was doing.  Yesterday I had to go up & down my stairs 5-6 times in a row and did have some pain following, but used ice & today it's OK.

[DRoswell]

I had my first Synvisc treatment in July 2001.

I was one of those 40% of people who responded to it very well.  Within about a week I noticed I started being able to climb steps with my right knee.  Since I have OA in both knees, both were done.  The results lasted about a year.

I have one very bad knee - in it I have 15 degrees of wear on the medial side of my tibia, no medial meniscus since 1971 (removed), and a lateral tear (repaired by arthoscopy in 1988).  I also have no ACL at all anymore in either knee.  I am a candidate for TKR for my very bad knee, but I am a bit too young (49years old).

After that first treatment of Synvisc I couldn't believe how much better my knees felt.  It wore off very gradually. (12 months)

After about 13 months passed, I was back at my doctor, once again ready to say OK to total knee replacement. Because I had such great results on the SYNVISC, this time he used a European version of SYNVISC, known as SUPARTZ.  It is 5 injections instead of three, but the total amount of medicine is almost double, and the cost is supposed to be much less. (I didn't pay, but take care that HMO's often  need precertification now because of the many people that it doesn't work that well on.) I had that SUPARTZ treatment in August 2002, and I think it is just starting to wear off now (March 2003) , not because it isn't as good as SYNVISC, but rather because my knee is getting progressively worse (sometimes I feel crunching and crumbling in there when just standing)

My personal conclusion is that SYNVISC & SUPARTZ (which are two brand names for the same exact chemical) have bought me almost two years so far.  I'm not sure whether I'll go for a third treatment - as I say, in my case is may be a point of diminishing returns.  But when I first got it, I tell you I was able to even do a little ballet leap now and then.  I was able to work longer on my feet with the additional help of Vioxx.

I am 49 years old, an overweight ex-athlete, (gymnast & ice skater) and I'm of European descent. (Italian & Basque).  I'm kind of strong and large boned.  I think I have type A or OA blood.

I just thought I should mention all this because some people such as myself seem to respond really well to the SYNVISC.
I really think they should do a study on what sort of people respond (nationality, blood type, allergies, weight, stage of osteoarthritis, surgeries, etc.) so that they can better predict who will respond well.

Out of sheer curiosity I asked my ortho how SYNVISC works and by what process it wears off.
He said that nobody really knew for sure WHY it works, but he suspects that it "wakes up" some chemical processes that helped the knee produce the old synovial lubricants it did when it was healthy --i.e before prolonged osteoarthritis .

Maybe this post will help somebody out there.

I should caution, the one danger with these treatments is knee infection, so if you get the shots, I advise to keep the little injections sites dry and clean for a few days at least. Keep a band aid on it when going to bed.  I had NO trouble at all.

The injection pain is relative to what pain you are used to enduring with bad knees.  I didn't fear the injections - I looked forward to them, because I knew it was better than bone-on- bone!

Good Luck to All.

Dyna

[cadha]

Am new to this forum. Having severe osteoarthritis in both knees. On pain killers. Am on the lookout on the web for any tips, information, any help at all for the pain remedies. This topic & replies have been very helpful and an eye-opener......
On my search for the types of knee injections available,here is some info which might be helpful:

found out that all of them contain "hyaluronic acid", are jelly /gel like with different brand names like Hyalgan, Supartz and other is Synvisc (made of  hylan GF20(similar to Hyaluronic acid but modified).

These are only for relieving pain, not a cure.
Side effects like pain, swlling, redness are possible.
More effective in less advanced cases of OA. Less effective in advanced cases...... (Who decides the stage - advanced or not?)

Any way knowing about so many varied responses to such injections, am not sure..........
Will search more.........

Thanks

[enuff81020]

I think that point about how advanced the stage of arthritis is is a good one.  I suspect with syn visc--as with glucosamine, there needs to be something there to work with.  That was not my case...

Having tried virtually everything under the sun, I'd probably still go the same route because things like the injections are so less invasive and have so few side effects as compared to surgical options.  It is relief to know that they have worked for others and are not necessarily voo doo.  If my doc recommended them or something new that comes out, I'd go along with it.  What can I lose at this point?  LOL, Sylvia

[seegalone]

I had 3 synvisc injections last september.  They did not help at all, and caused me alot more pain. I was told i was a candidate for Total knee replacement, but too young (40).  OS said find a cane I liked and get use to it.  This was completely unacceptable to me.  He could not explain what was wrong-he did not know, he refered me to a well known surgeon in chicago, he could not tell me what was wrong-he said he sees alot of knee problems that are unexplained in athletic females.  I gave up for a few months.  Then It was recommended I see this OS who does alot of non conventional surgeries, and has alot of innovative ideas.  Low and behold he has become my savior.  Five minutes in his office he told me what was wrong.  Skyline view of xrays showed my knee cap had slid down and was hitting tibia.  He spent 1.5 hours with me on my first exam.  I just had fulkerson osteotomy on friday.  

My advice to you is if you are having mal tracking problems, ask about fulkerson or other procedures of this sort.  It cant hurt to inquire about a more aggressive procedure.  You might suprise your doc.  I saw 7 OS before I got help.

good luck

Hi, Ellen,
If it's a duplicate post I apologize. It did not seem to want to go thru.
I do not have maltracking but an advanced OA in the R knee, post arthroscopy and old skiing injury.

Anyway I noticed that you are also from Chicago. I've been shoved around by at least one  "famous' ortho surgeon, who tolsd me to wait untill it gets much worse and I get older to qualify for TKR. He actually did not have a complete diagnosis with just a couple of X-rays. The one I'm seeing now is much more detailed, but again he subspecialzes in one particular knee procedure and others does less often. He doesn't believe in Synvisc and does it very rarely. I wonder if the injection technique makes a difference, or it's just like any injection into the knee, let say a steroid that I'm pretty sure any decent surgeon can do.
If you would not mind sharing yourChicago OSs experience with me, I would certainly appreciate it. Rather than name bashing on this Forum perhaps you would be nice enough to e-mail me at                    [email protected] , unless it's OK to mention names in here.
Thanks much in advance,
Krys