Ozone Joint Therapy
Ozone Joint Therapy services offered in Portland, OR, Bellevue, WA and Tempe, AZ
Many patients with chronic knee pain have trouble doing the activities they enjoy, whether it’s playing tennis, going skiing, or just taking a walk around the neighborhood. Often, patients look for a solution that reduces their reliance on pain medications but doesn’t require intensive treatment like knee replacement surgery. The medical team at Reflex Knee Specialists offers ozone joint therapy as an adjunct to hyaluronic acid (HA) and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) to reduce knee pain and improve mobility. Our providers treat patients in Oregon, Washington, and Arizona, and use ultrasound to assess the condition of the knee joint and surrounding tissues to determine a specific diagnosis.
What Is Ozone Joint Therapy?
Ozone therapy is a non-surgical, noninvasive treatment available for patients with chronic knee pain from osteoarthritis. Ozone is a gas that reduces inflammation and pain. It also deactivates the proteins that break down cartilage tissue, helping to slow further joint damage. Most importantly, several randomized, controlled studies have shown that ozone augments clinical benefit when combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments.
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How Osteoarthritis Affects the Knees
Also known as degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by chronic inflammation. In the presence of inflammation, tissues destabilize and begin to break down. This is why osteoarthritis is responsible for the deterioration of all tissues inside the joint. In the presence of chronic inflammation, the number of pain receptors lining the joint (nociceptor load) increases. This is why pain progressively worsens over the course of OA. However, the converse is true: when levels of inflammation decrease, the nociceptor load decreases, resulting in less pain.
The specialized cartilage tissue that covers the ends of bones is essential for proper joint function and protection of the underlying bone. As cartilage begins to break down (degenerate), knee mechanics become dysfunctional and lead to additional tissue damage, which in turn will drive levels of inflammation even higher; OA results in this vicious cycle of inflammation, pain, and joint dysfunction.
Arthritis can make it difficult for patients to do the activities they enjoy and may impede their range of motion. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and affects about 80% of older adults in the United States; the knee is the joint most commonly affected by OA and is the most common joint to require total joint replacement surgery.
Treating Osteoarthritis
There are many conservative care options for osteoarthritis, including:
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Physical therapy
- Off-loading brace
- Hyaluronic acid (HA) treatments
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatments
- Ozone joint therapy
Total knee replacement (TKR) surgery is also an option, but it is an invasive procedure and is usually a last resort after conservative treatments such as those listed above have failed.
What to Expect During Ozone Therapy
Before recommending ozone joint therapy, the team at Reflex Knee Specialists will provide a comprehensive knee evaluation to identify the root cause of your knee pain. In addition to a physical examination, this evaluation will also include a diagnostic ultrasound to visualize the tissues and structures in and around the knee joint. Ozone therapy is generally recommended in combination with HA and PRP treatments, but can also be given as a stand-alone treatment.
To maximize the therapeutic benefits of ozone therapy, some patients will have a series of treatments. The number of appointments will depend on several factors, including the patient’s age, medical history, and current symptom severity.
After an injection appointment, most patients can resume their normal routine right away. Their provider may recommend avoiding high-impact exercise or other activities that put pressure on the knees.
Potential Ozone Therapy Side Effects
While ozone joint therapy injections are usually well-tolerated, some patients experience mild swelling and discomfort at the injection site. An ice pack can help with any pain. These side effects usually resolve within a few days.
Inhaling medical-grade ozone can be harmful. Thus, it is important to only receive ozone injections from an experienced medical provider.
Ozone Therapy Benefits
Ozone injections can:
- Provide pain relief
- Decrease inflammation
- Protect the cartilage by deactivating destructive proteins in the joint fluid
- Augment the clinical benefit when combined with HA or PRP treatment
Initial clinical studies indicate positive effects of ozone joint injections on patients with knee osteoarthritis. In one study, the level of growth factors released with PRP treatment was increased by 30% when combined with ozone joint therapy.
Discuss Ozone Therapy with Reflex Knee Specialists Today
The experienced providers at Reflex Knee Specialists take an integrative approach to treating chronic joint pain. We offer non-surgical interventions for a wide range of knee conditions at our offices in Portland, Oregon, Bellevue, Washington and Tempe, Arizona. For more information on ozone therapy and to schedule an appointment, call or contact us today. While we do accept Medicare, we are not currently accepting Medicaid.
