Duralane injection

[subail]

I have had Duralane injected....one shot as opposed to three. Much easier to handle. Only the injection was a little uncomfortable...like injecting toothpaste. You may not be able to get it where you are. Here in Canada it's fairly popular. Sue

[jathib]

Duralane? Isn't that like motor oil? No thanks.

[jinny anne]

HI I'm a new knee geek and wish I wasn't here at all.  I have had a Duralane injection done Friday last, and went about my normal things that day afterwards as advised by dr.  But by bedtime was in great pain and very little movement. So have kept a low profile since with ice-pack and taking it easy as much as possible while still at work and it's improved a lot but it's still not very good - am I worrying unnecesarily after only 5 days?    It is sore to touch below the knee and doens't want to do any turning or twisting.  What do you think?
Would appreciate some news on how any one else recovered from it?
Thanks Jinny Anne

[subail]

I found that it took about a week for my knees to settle...ice, inactivity and elevation helped. After about  a week and a half I felt really good....I liked the fact that it was only one shot and not the three, and not running back and forth to the doctor every week for 6 weeks...

Sue the Canuck

[boldlygoes]

I am due to have Durolane injections on Tuesday but having read this thread I am not sure if I should go ahead with it. It sounds a painfull procedure and seems to give most of you a bad reaction.
What relieve would I expect to get after all the soreness and swelling etc is gone, will I be totally pain free or just a reduced level of pain, how long does it work for. Any information would be most appreciated.

[boldlygoes]

I am due to have Durolane injections on Tuesday but having read this thread I am not sure if I should go ahead with it. It sounds a painfull procedure and seems to give most of you a bad reaction.
What relieve would I expect to get after all the soreness and swelling etc is gone, will I be totally pain free or just a reduced level of pain, how long does it work for. Any information would be most appreciated.

Well I had my injection yestaerday and am I glad I did. Last night and this morning I have no pain in my knee for the first time in months. Instead of hobbling arround i can now walk normaly. The procedure was so easy. I hate needles but i have to say the only pain was a slight burning sensation which lasted seconds, that was it. If it lasts anywhere near the six months that is stated then i will be well pleased.

[Plumb]

I am glad it worked for you and you have had a positive experience with it so far.    I hope it lasts months and months for you

[boldlygoes]

I am glad it worked for you and you have had a positive experience with it so far.    I hope it lasts months and months for you

Hi Plumb. Thanks for the good wishes. I know it will wear off at some point but I aim to make the most of the pain free spell

[subail]

I have had 3 sets of Duralane injections now and I have experienced months of relief...it works for me!!

Sue  the Canuck

[helenhelen]

Hi Sue, I noticed that this was posted in 2008 and that you went for TKR in 2010. Can I ask what happened that caused you to switch from Durolane to surgery? Did the Durolane stop working?

I am considering trying Durolane...

Also, you are in Canada too - how much did you pay for it and from where? I can get it through my doctor for $450(!) or $350 through the Durolane website.. but have seen it cheaper from online pharmacies elsewhere (as cheap as $275). However, I notice they do not often ship to Canada (even online Canadian pharmacies since they have it shipped from an international distributor, and our laws prevent it from being able to be shipped here).

Thanks!

[helenhelen]

i took the plunge and ordered it from the Durolane Canada website, and have set up an appointment with my doc for the injections. He normally does it with a cortisone shot to reduce the pain, but I am opting to go without the cortisone shot. Just wondering how painful getting the injection is, and if I will not be able to bike back to work right after (i.e. should I take public transit to my appointment instead)? Also, will there be a period of adjustment (pain?) right after the injection, or will I experience relief relatively soon after?

Thanks!

[helenhelen]

update: just had the durolane injections done on both knees. the pain wasn't that bad, actually., but i hate needles so i almost passed out (psychological issue rather than pain issue). my doc injected me first with something to numb the area, and it felt similar to the durolane injection that happened later (under the local anaesthetic). i felt the usual needle prick and then he injected the anaesthetic and i could feel this weird pressure underneath as the stuff was injected (not overtly painful but not pleasant either). when he did the other knee, that is when i felt faint. it was the weird pressure that caused the psychological effect of making me feel faint. anyway, after that kicked in a bit (a few minutes), he injected the durolane. i guess the local anaesthetic probably worked to lessen the feeling of the injection. it felt much like the first injection - prick, and then pressure. then it was over. he instructed me to bend and release my legs a few times, and that was it. afterwards, there was "no" real substantial pain (relative to living for the past 8 years with knee pain, of course!), but my knees felt very stiff and weak, with my right knee worse than my left (normally, it is my left knee that is worse). standing is challenging, and walking is difficult. so far, no swelling or anything like that. let's hope i can walk normally again soon!

also, my doctor mentioned that studies have shown that a cortisone injection (a few days?) before the durolane injection renders the treatment more effective if your knees are inflamed (he said something about the first time - i don't remember if he meant first time only, or with each subsequent treatment too). because my knees were not inflamed or swollen, we decided to just go with the durolane injection alone.

this was approx. 2 hours ago. i am sitting now at work (had to hobble back to work via public transit - not the most pleasant experience.. but thank god for elevators and escalators in the subway!). my knees don't feel too bad. still difficult to walk, and there is a a bit of an ache while seated. nothing too bad though so far. i hope it gets better and not worse, as some people have recounted about these hyaluronic acid injections!

[helenhelen]

one day after the injection:

today i woke up and my knees are much worse. yesterday, i could hobble around but today, i can't walk at all without support. each step is painful, even with support. my knees swelled up over the course of yesterday, and ice packs did help. i went to bed and woke up being unable to walk! i had to call in sick to work because i don't know how to get there. even if i cabbed it, i don't know how i'd go out for lunch, or get from cab to my office. it's nuts! i am considering borrowing my grandfather's walker (which he never uses) if this keeps up since i am currently extremely immobile. i wish my doc had told me of this possibility so i could have planned ahead by not scheduling work meetings for today and taking work home with me! i also can't bend my knees beyond 90 degrees.

hopefully, my knees will get better tomorrow and not continue like this...

[helenhelen]

more update!

it's now exactly one week after the injection. i am still not up to the level i was at pre-injection, much less any sort of improvement. the biggest improvement was from day 2 after the injection (which was the worst) to day 3.. so i thought things were improving. i spent days 2-3 using a walker (although ideally, i would have been in a wheelchair on day 2 - that's how bad it was), and days 3-5 using a cane. i am cane free now but my improvement has been very slow the past few days. my left knee is still rather swollen, despite icing it everyday. my right knee is not as bad, but there is still some pain in it and it's very stiff. with both knees, i cannot bend them completely, not straighten them completely.. so my range of motion has lessened. i started to ride my bike again but can only do so on a low gear to keep the pressure off, and i find carrying my aluminum framed bike up and down a few stairs on my porch to be difficult (i feel a sharp pain in my knees when i do - worse than the usual pain i feel when using stairs). 2 days ago, i tried to walk a few blocks (with no cane) and although i could do it, my knees quickly grew sore and i had to sit and rest. so, they are not even where i was at before the durolane because i never had trouble walking (except if it was for hours and hours of nonstop walking). it also seems to feel worse (more stiff) after sitting for awhile, or when getting up in the morning.

anyway, because progress was faster at the the start (and how could it not be.. i couldn't walk at all without heavy support on the 2nd day!) and has slowed down to what now seems like no progress, i am worried that my knees have gotten worse and won't get any better.

i will update again if things change.

[helenhelen]

one month later:

my knees feel about the same as before i got the injection. it's been this way for at least a weak now - no improvements,. i wonder if this is it, and it just didn't work for me. my range of motion is a little less though: i have trouble squating without feeling it in my knees, whereas i could before with no problem.

[helenhelen]

it has now been about 4 months. there is no huge improvement to my knees. they are better than 3 months ago though, but i am unable to ascertain whether it is a result of the durolane or something else. by better, i mean that after playing sports (volleyball for me), my knees do not swell up the way they used to. i still need to use my knee braces but afterwards, there is little to no swelling, and this might be a result of the extra cushioning created by the durolane. however, is it worth the $750 i paid for this injection if this is it? not sure about that. on the one hand, i like that i can do activity and not be suffering a lot afterwards (i used to have to ice my knees).. but on the other hand, it is a lot of money to pay every 6 months for something that barely works.

at this point, i am going to try one more round of injections in december, and if there is no substantial improvement, then that is it for me. my doc says that there could be a cumulative effect.. perhaps my synovial fluid was so low that one injection brought it just under the threshold.. and if we inject my knees before it wears off completely, there might be a chance that i notice a bigger improvement next time. also, he suggested i try a cortisone shot a week prior to the durolane injection (which may lower the amount of inflammation i had last time). i am willing to give it just one more go.. will keep you all posted!

oh, one last thing is that up until a few weeks ago, i found that my feet would swell up if i sat for too long. when i stood up, i would notice some swelling and tenderness. this started happening after the durolane, so i am pretty sure it's connected. however, the swelling doesn't happen anymore, though my feet are still a bit tender if i press on the tops of them.