A Way to Save Your Knees
Electrical stimulation may save your knee from surgery.
If Osteoarthritis (OA) is wearing down your knee Joints, you might want to ask your doctor about a prescription-only medical device that may postpone the need for surgery. The FDA-approved BIO-1000 device, a noninvasive method for treating knee OA with electric current, provides another option for people who aren’t quite ready for total knee replacement (TKR).
It works like this: You apply a gel to contact elements on an electrode, which is held on the knee with a Velcro strap. A battery-powered unit weighing 6 ounces sends up to 12 volts – the amount in a car’s accessory outlet – pulsing through the electrode, causing a tingling sensation. The transcutaneous electrical joint stimulator device system, as Medicare calls it, is then turned so low the current is not felt at all. Unlike a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device, which works on muscles and nerves to block pain signals, the BIO-1000 works on cartilage to promote healing and regrowth.
In a recent clinical study conducted at 23 centers across the United States, 48 men and 109 women ranging in age from 31 to 88 with moderate-to-severe OA wore the device for six to 10 hours daily, usually while sleeping. Compared to a control group of 101 patients, results showed that 62 percent of the people with moderate-to-severe OA postponed TKR for four years. Only seven percent in the control group did so.
– Mike Fillon
