starting to buckle under knee pain? here’s how to get back on your feet
early diagnosis and a personalized care plan can help get you back on track and keep you moving
4 minute read
st. catharines, ont.: august 27, 2024. darrel mater, who received cingal, an injectable drug used to treat osteoarthritis of the knee, shows off his swing at rockway vineyards golf club. st. catharines, ont, august 27, 2024. nick kozak for postmedia news.
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cingal®
this story was created by content works, postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of a client.
since retiring roughly a year ago, darrell mater* of grimsby, ont., has been enjoying activities he would’ve found impossible just months earlier. now 62, mater golfs once or twice a week, and he and his wife have strolled the shores of virginia beach and wandered up and down the hilly streets surrounding the colosseum in rome.
in october of 2023, however, mater was experiencing grinding knee pain that severely curbed the distance he could walk, and made climbing stairs a halting, jaw-clenching misery. “i’d have to haul myself up one step at a time,” he recalls. pain robbed him of any pleasure from playing golf, even if he used a cart. “my knee was inflamed — it was just on fire,” mater says.
after physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments failed to help, mater turned to his family doctor, who referred him to a specialty clinic. there, mater was officially diagnosed with osteoarthritis (oa) of the knee.
like mater, an estimated four million canadians — roughly one in seven adults — are living with osteoarthritis, and the joint most commonly affected is the knee. while prevalence rises with age, nearly one-third of people with oa of the knee report being diagnosed before age 45.
“osteoarthritis refers to the wearing down of a joint that happens over time,” explains dr. darren de sa*, an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor at mcmaster university in hamilton, ont. as the slippery cushion of cartilage in the joint erodes, the body releases substances that promote joint inflammation, pain and stiffness.
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but age is just one risk factor. “it can be caused by many things, often in combination,” says dr. de sa. “these include previous knee injuries, repetitive stress, abnormal joint alignment, weight and lifestyle.”
whatever the cause, oa of the knee can exact a heavy toll on an individual’s quality of life. for example, in a recent survey of people with the condition, 70 per cent reported being unable to enjoy activities they love; 61 per cent said they couldn’t go outside and walk as often as they’d like; and 57 per cent reported the constant pain they experienced affects their mental health†. unsurprisingly, people with knee osteoarthritis report lower quality of life than individuals who aren’t living with symptoms of the disease.
to try and ease oa of the knee pain, some people turn first to easily available products, like over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (nsaid) medications, and knee wraps. “some patients have tried over-the-counter elastic braces with minimal benefit,” dr. de sa explains. for patients looking to find relief, the cost of these items can add up.
while the mainstay of treatment for knee oa is targeted exercise to strengthen muscles around the joint, patients often are either unaware of that fact or can’t face the temporary increase in symptoms exercise can cause.
dr. darren de sa (left), a sports medicine physician, collaborates with a team of multi-disciplinary specialists to create custom care plans for patients. nick kozak
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“exercising becomes a challenge as the knees hurt to move,” says dr. de sa. “most patients i see with arthritis, regardless of the severity, have tried very little active treatment prior to the assessment.” instead, people typically cut down on walking and other physical activity, “which can present challenges as the pain continues to worsen with de-conditioning, or loss of strength and flexibility.”
addressing oa of the knee earlier on and addressing it from several directions can help slow the progression and reduce pain. “not only do we have various specialties under the same roof at our clinic, but the patient also has access to them at the same time, which helps us curate an individual treatment plan.”
when mater underwent an assessment at this clinic, dr. de sa suggested trying an injectable medication called cingal® as part of his personalized knee pain care plan. “cingal® is a single injection that consists of two components that work together on different aspects of the disease process to provide rapid and lasting pain relief,” dr. de sa says.
cingal® delivers these results by combining a corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid. the corticosteroid helps to reduce inflammation and swelling, thus providing rapid relief from symptoms. this bridges the gap while the hyaluronic acid, which mimics the fluid found in healthy joints, aids with lubrication, motion and cushioning, offering relief that lasts up to six months.
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“i was skeptical at first, but after a day, my knee started to feel better,” mater says. he resumed his usual activities within a week and has since started making inroads on his post-retirement goal to “walk around europe.” nearly 18 months after receiving that injection, mater hasn’t required a repeat treatment.
while no one treatment is suitable for everyone, “most patients find joint injections to be a beneficial part of an individualized care plan,” says dr. de sa. cingal® is a single-injection treatment that offers fast and long-lasting pain relief.
that’s certainly true for mater. “man, i’m glad i got it done,” he says.
to find a specialty clinic in your area staffed with experts who can diagnose the cause of your knee pain and help you explore treatment options, visit https://cingal.ca/en/clinic-locator.
this story was created by healthing content works, healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of cingal®, a registered trademark owned by anika therapeutics inc., used under license by pendopharm, a division of pharmascience inc. product information contained herein is not approved for use in the united states of america.
cingal® is indicated for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis (oa) of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative non-pharmacologic therapy and to simple analgesics (e.g., acetaminophen). cingal® includes an ancillary steroid to provide additional short-term pain relief.
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cingal® may not be suitable for everyone. talk to your doctor if you have questions regarding this product, or for more information on pain associated with oa of the knee.
*no compensation was received by dr. de sa or darrell mater for their participation in this article.
†among patients who rated the impact of knee oa on their mental health as 6 or above (1= none at all, 10= huge impact).
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