While McHatton struggled to cure himself, Lee checked the availability of the CartiHeal Agili-C implant, which had recently received FDA approval. Lee sent me all the research on CartiHeal and I knew it was definitely something I wanted to try for the failed graft, McHatton said. Recovery and results depend on the location of the implant and vary for each patient, but McHatton felt ready to start bearing weight on her leg in the first week. For years, people with osteoarthritis in the knees had limited treatment options.
Thanks to a September 2024 grant from the National Institutes of Health, UChicago Medicine will continue to study whether GAE relieves knee pain. Pain relievers, steroid injections, physical therapy and nerve ablation can ease pain, but some patients eventually need surgery to replace damaged cartilage and bone in the knee. Many want to postpone knee arthroplasties, as they would change the structure and integrity of the knee. Orthopedic doctors can only offer conservative treatment options, such as weight loss and physical therapy, or drastic surgery to perform total knee replacement to alleviate painful symptoms.
Stenger, like many patients who suffer from osteoarthritis pain in the knees, hopes to postpone a complete knee replacement.
