Yes, I have been getting them for about a dozen years. I get them every 6 months as that is what most insurance companies will pay for.

There are many brands of this product. I use EUFLEXXA, a laboratory produced injectable. SYNVISC is another very popular brand of this. The form found in Synvisc is made from gelatinous substances derived from chicken (rooster) combs. I have tried them both and have better results with Euflexxa. It is a series of 3 shots, one a week for 3 weeks. I feel the most relief about 3 weeks after the final injection; takes a while to lubricate the joint and reduce inflammation.

While these injections have been shown to provide relief for mild to moderate knee degeneration, it probably will not provide as much relief to you when you have severe degeneration, which I am approaching.

I also had stem cell and plasma rich platelet procedures about 14 months ago. This gave me approximately a 25% improvement so helped some, but not a lot and these procedures were completely "out of pocket" for payment, insurance not on board for most procedures which are considered regenerative.

I had them done some yrs ago, both a series of SynVisc and yrs later Eufflexa, can't say they did much...I truly truly believe I've gone thru so much more damage from the hip replacement complications I'm left with and subsequent staph infection in knee where they did a "clean out" and I don't think that helped.

Work with rubbing Coconut oil into the knee(s) and also consider Monolaurin internally. There is a LOT of info on this miracle oil.

I would give it a go (although I am warning you, injections in the knee "can" be painful, it depends on where they stick you). I got a steroid once right below the patella. Man, that hurt!

But don't want to scare you!

I would try anything, if I were you, before resorting to surgery. That should be your last step.

I did have knee-hole (edit: I meant "peep-hole" LOL) surgery on my right knee. And I woke up with a greyish/black leg, toes to hips. This was when I already had CRPS.

This is why they won't touch the left one.

Debris needed to come out due to my initial injury. The right knee was *super* painful because debris had "gone wild" in it. The left is do-able, but still, I have the patella pain.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Thanks Marleen! I am no stranger to injections in the knee, I've had well over a dozen at this point. Steroids don't go well and it crystallizes in the joint now. So we have stopped those and I'll never do one again. The worst was draining blood/pus from it after one of my surgeries. But it's never fun - it's just a matter of how much not-fun it is. Compared to surgery though the injections are a walk in the park so I'm praying they work. Still waiting to hear from insurance.