Pioneering new treatment for osteoarthritis now available!

We are delighted to announce that My Foot Doctor now offers the pioneering treatment of Ostenil® injections, administered on-site by our Podiatrist, to treat a variety of lower limb conditions caused by Osteoarthritis. Click here for more information, how osteoarthritis affects our joints. Ostenil® injections are designed to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Injections can be administered in the knee, ankle and foot or any other joints that are classified as ‘synovial.’

It can be used in conjunction with steroid injections, or can be used as a stand alone treatment for osteoarthritis, to reduce pain and swelling. Click here to find out more about synovial joints, and how osteoarthritis affects these joints.

Ostenil® injections – what are they and how can they help?

Ostenil® injections consist of a solution containing sodium hyaluronate. The injection needs to be administered, by a fully qualified practitioner, into the space in the joint that contains synovial fluid. It works by restoring the normal balance between the breakdown and production of hyaluronic acid within the joint. The effect is that it can decrease pain and stiffness, and improve the other symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Our Podiatrist, Lynnette Nisbet who is registered to give these injections to patients on-site at My Foot Doctor, says;

“I have over 9 years experience administering injections into joints of patients affected by osteoarthritis. I’ve found Ostenil® treatment to be particularly effective for osteoarthritis, as an alternative to steroid injections and a great alternative to knee surgery".

“Further evidence from Cochrane reviews (internationally recognised as the highest standard in evidence based health care) has concluded that these types of injections are effective treatments for mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. It’s unfortunately not a treatment that is readily offered by the NHS but I am finding increased numbers of people asking me to administer these injections after hearing the success stories from others.”

For the full review, please visit http://www.cochrane.org/CD005321/MUSKEL_viscosupplementation-for-the-treatment-of-osteoarthritis-of-the-knee.

What can I expect if I decide to have treatment with Ostenil®?

If you decide to have treatment with Ostenil®, it will be injected directly into the joint affected by osteoarthritis. There is different methods available depending on your condition. As you may only require one injection OSTENIL® PLUS or a course of injections one week apart OSTENIL® .

• Ostenil® requires a course of injections once a week for 3 weeks until you have had 3 injections. In some cases your Podiatrist may give up to 5 injections, some patients only require one injection depending on the grade of degeneration in the affected joint.
  
  
• OSTENIL® PLUS, Only requires 1 injection, this is an isotonic solution of highly purified sodium hyaluronate (or hyaluronic acid) developed specifically for the treatment of osteoarthritis. However The formulation of OSTENIL® PLUS utilises the combination of high concentration of sodium hyaluronate + mannitol. This formulation offers the option to reduce the number of SH injections to only one injection per treatment cycle.

You will probably not notice any benefits immediately after your first injection, but you should gradually start to feel less pain and stiffness over the next few days and coming weeks. The improvement in your symptoms should last for 6 -12 months or in some cases longer. Once the effects of the first course of injections wear off, you can top up with further treatments. After that, you can continue to have new courses of injections whenever necessary.

As Ostenil is a prescribed medication by your podiatrist a thorough history will need to be obtained prior to any injection taking place. If you are not suitable for the injection this will be discussed in the assessment.

Those who may not be suitable for Ostenil injections include:

• Pregnant and lactating women
• Children
• People with an inflammatory condition (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis).