William, A number of companies make Hyaluronic Acid products. The biggest difference between them is the molecular weight. BIOX has the highest (2 million). It is the same prodcut you used, only a higher molecular weight now.
Even at my age, the products are changing so fast it's hard to keep up. I took ACLS a few years back, I needed to take it again recently and none of the drugs were the same and none of the algorithms were the same either.... very frustrating. Just staying on top of things in my own field is hard enough.
The reported time frame is 6 mos for pain relief that supposedly is better than that achieved with NSAIDS. The higher molecular weight prodcuts take longer to break down. Some studies though, only document a small difference between the two (Hyaluronic Acid and NSAIDS), thus the present controversy.
With regards to surgeons wanting to cut. IT's true I'm a surgeon and I like to operate, BUT I also like to see my patients get relief of the pain that they sought my attention to address. If I can alleviate or palliate their pain for 6 mos or more with a simple injection I will use that prodcut. Plus, patients are becoming much more informed about the technologies available and will soon be asking for these injections before proceeding with a total joint replacement.
Also, I believe the same knee can be injected multiple times. WHether or not the half life changes upon second and third injections is unknown.
And once again, I do not know if the insurance companies are going to pay for this prodcut yet. The few patients I've injected have had to pay for the product out of pocket. The results are mixed, and a true assessment of relief of pain can not be determined becuase my results are, of course uncontrolled and the placebo effect, I feel, is huge.
Howard |
