Hyaluronic acid infiltrations
Hyaluronic acid is a high molecular weight substance found in high concentration in the skin, cartilage and synovial fluid. Provides hydration and acts as a lubricant. Infiltrated into the joint, it promotes the maintenance of joint integrity and aims to reduce pain and improve the mobility of the joint. At the peritendinous level, it nourishes the damaged tissue and exerts an analgesic function.
The most common pathologies that benefit from this technique are patellar chondromalacia, osteoarthritis (knee, hip, hand, foot/ankle) and tendinopathy of the elbow, wrist or ankle.
The injection does not usually present complications and is guided by ultrasound to guarantee the correct deposit of the product.
Glucocorticoid infiltrations
This technique consists of the administration of corticosteroids inside the affected joint or bursa, with the aim of slowing down the inflammatory process inside them. It can be administered with or without local anesthetic depending on each pathology and patient.
Local corticosteroids are synthetic drugs with properties similar to those of the natural corticosteroids found in humans. They have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. They can be applied by multiple routes, but the intra-articular route is the most effective in processes that occur with joint inflammation since they act almost exclusively at the site of inflammation, minimizing the adverse effects on the rest of the body.
After the corresponding cleaning of the skin with a disinfectant product, the preparation is introduced inside the joint using a fine needle. In skilled hands, the infiltration usually causes no more than mild discomfort and usually lasts no more than a minute.
This type of infiltration should be administered with caution in diabetic, hypertensive or anticoagulated patients. Its administration is not advised in those patients who are planning a prosthetic joint replacement in the weeks/months following this infiltration.
Treatment with growth factors
THAT CONSISTS?
Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) is obtained from the extraction and centrifugation of blood from the same patient. Later, adding calcium chloride activates the secretion of growth factors by the α granules (contained inside the platelets).
Treatment with growth factors has been shown to stimulate tissue repair at the local level mainly through the following mechanisms:
- Stimulates the secretion and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (Fibroblasts, tenoviocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes and pluripotential stem cells)
- Promotes vascular permeability
- It stimulates the secretion of collagen in the tenoviocyte
- Reduction of IL-1β (pro-inflammatory interleukin)
The studies published to date demonstrate clinical improvement with reduced pain and inflammation and improved functionality. This type of infiltration is indicated in cases of chondromalacia, arthrosis, enthesitis, tendinitis/tendinosis and in cases of ligamentous, tendinous and muscular ruptures.
The results of this type of infiltration improve significantly when they are carried out by expert hands and in an eco-guided way, administering the product precisely to the area to be treated.
