Gel-One Knee Injection
My husband has been having trouble with his knee for a few months. At first it was suspected to be a meniscus tear and he was given a cortisone shot. When that didn't help he was sent for an MRI. The MRI revealed that he has a severe loss of cartilage behind his knee. Ortho suggested this Gel-One injection. Of course we have read up about the particulars of it online, but I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with these type of injections? Were they helpful or not?
Calico696 
Steven i have the same problem as your husband and finally went to orthopedic institute on bilby road. they gave me cortisone in both knees because of the pain. took x-rays which showed osteoarthritis. tried physical therapy but the pain was even worse. i did a lot of checking and felt the 5 week treatment the best answer. the doctors at orthopedic institute on bilby road are wonderful. they did an mri on the right knee that was in the worst shape...95% loss of cartilage. the gel shots seem to help a lot, but not right away...it takes a few weeks to work. i started these in late spring of 2016...you have to wait the full 6 months in between or no insurance will cover these $600 shots. dr teja and his staff are wonderful and very helpful. they highly recommend the shots that i take because of the fewer side effects.
terry b Both of my knees are shot from the Army.
My wife keeps telling me to 'go get them fixed'.
I am of the grumpy old man mindset to do nothing until I have to.
Probably not the best long term plan- I just don't trust doctors.
Josh My mom has had the injections. They helped her a lot but she didn't get significant relief until the third injection. She was committed to keep trying because she wanted to avoid surgery or at least postpone it as long as possible. I think it must be four or five years since the last one and she's still doing fine.
Aquarius I also had the injections and they did provide temporary relief however I finally opted for full knee replacement which has provided complete restoration.
Best of luck.
Evergreen'69 I had the shots. (Doctor Mehan)The first group lasted almost 6 months to the day. I had another set of shots and that was 4 years ago. IMO it's worth a try.
Old Gent Josh- if you do end up with wholesale replacements waiting it out can be part of a strategy. They have a lifespan and will need to be replaced. I know people who purposely waited it out so they would have the surgery as late as possible so they wouldn't have to try and go through a knee replacement surgery/recovery *again* in their late 70's.
Also, if it's both knees some people will try and talk you into doing both knees at the same time because the recovery is about the same. A friend of mine did that and swears that the surgeon told him to do that because he'd never have gone back for the second after the pain of the first. Who knows though.
brendan Terry B ,
Can you clarify for me...you said 5 week treatment but then said you have to wait the 6months in between or insurance does not pay.......are you getting 1 shot a week for 5 weeks? what are you waiting for for 6 months? Forgive me, i am a little confused about the course of treatment.
I would love to hear more reviews about this procedure from anyone that has had it and the Doctors that did it. Starting my research by asking for real time reviews before i go to a Dr!
Thank You All !!!
Virginia Virginia...i get a shot in both knees once a week for 5 weeks. if there is still discomfort after 4-5 weeks, i get a cortisone shot in both. the gel takes a bit to work, but there is definitely an improvement. in order for any insurance to cover these shots, there has to be 6 months between the 5th set of shots and when you can get the gel shots again. if you absolutely need the gel shots in between, the doctor won't deny you, but you will have to pay for them out of pocket. you can go talk to the doctors at orthopedic institute of nj on bilby road
Virginia, I'm not sure if Gel-0ne injections are the same as Supartz. I have received Supartz several times to replace the synovial fluid in my knee. They are also given in 5 weekly injections. The 6 month wait is before you are eligible to get another 5 week series. The Supartz is very effective for the problem I have. I went to the Orthopedic Institute on Bilby Road. I recommend them highly. I normally go every 6 months to stay ahead of the need. I've never had a problem with insurance.
Parental Unit 
Bernie yes and no....they either inject a numbing agent or use a spray, then they inject the gel. the key is to breathe and relax. i always feel the gel as it is injected, but it's over in a matter of seconds. same sort of pain level as getting the flu shot.....
Bernie, I get the Supartz administered by Diane, the PA at the Orthopedic Institute on Bilby Road and they are virtually pain free. Diane is wonderful!!
countrysideI noticed that you all go to Orthopedic Institute. Anyone have any thoughts on Skylands Orthopedics on Rt.46 in Hackettstown? Also, those who have had an MRI of your knees... do you have to go completely into an MRI machine or just your knees? I'm extremely claustrophobic, to the point of panic.
Lonesome Dove We use Dr. Reid with Coordinated Health. They are based in PA, but he has an office on Red School Lane in Lopatcong. My husband had his MRI there and they only put him in up to his chest.
FYI - There is an open MRI in P'burg, if you are claustrophobic and need to something other than legs done.
Thank you Calico 696. Good to know. But I live in Hackettstown so traveling to Phillipsburg area/Pennsylvania is not desirable (unless I have no other choice). If I am forced to drive somewhere, it would more likely be in the Morris County direction.
I had orthroscopy to repair torn meniscus followed by Supartz and it worked for me. And to answer Lonesome Dove's question, I am NOT a technician but I can tell you that for my MRI of my knee, I was not completely inside the unit, and they gave me headphones with music. I actually took a nap ;)
LVMomOfBoys Thanks for this information. I am really afraid to go see a doctor no less injections..
You say it can be just temporary? How long is this?
I love Dr Deehan, the dentist. Don't know much about his brother, the orthopedic doctor on Rt 46 opposite TARGET.
I have been getting supartz injection for about 10 years now. They work great. I started them because I was too young for a knee replacement. I get them every six months at orthopedic institute.
Livelifeboldly... Terry B and Parentl,
Thank you! When i was 12 I had orthroscopic surgery and they saw that i had a degenerative condition in my knee where the cartilage was breaking down. They ended up taking my knee cap out, cleaning up the cartilage, attaching some muscle or something on the inner side of my knee, put knee cap back, stitch me up and snet me to therapy. I had barely any pain, my knee didn't side out anymore so i didn't fall, life was good but i knew that was an early way to salvage a knee for the time and that i eventually would need replacement.
to keep this short, that surgery has left me with other issues from scar tissue so i am not a fan of having replacement surgery to have more issues . So i will wait until i cannot use the knee. I am open to the stem cell growth of your own cartilage but it is not available yet so I am hoping these shots would be a good answer to keep going, putting off surgery.
Thank you again for your thoughts on your experiences with it!!!
Just a quick update. My husband is going for the injection on the 12th of February. This is one injection, not the one injection per week for 5 weeks. Will let you know how it goes. BTW, it's fully covered by our insurance.
Lonesome, I seem to think the test was about 30 minutes? I am a quick napper ;)
OH! And another thing about the MRI....I was advised to NOT wear an underwire bra. The machine is magnetic and it could cause an issue. (Of course, you should verify that with the experts). :)
I figured I would update this thread. My husband got one Gel One injection in each knee back on the 12th of February. He is really doing great. He says the better of the two knees feels about 75% better now and the worse one feels about 55% better. The shots were quite painful and he pretty much had to stay off his feet for about 24 hours afterwards.
I had an MRI recently on my heel and they only put my lower legs in the tube. Had the headphones on because the machine is loud. They played elevator music, I guess to stop any foot tapping to the beat :-) It took about 30 minutes. They take lots of little pictures in slices.
They gave me the images to carry away to the Dr on the same day. Not sure why that isn't digital.
I was a bit shocked when we got the EOB from insurance, make sure you check first. MRIs are pricey, was glad to see the negotiated rate.
And good luck to you!
hktownie Don't know about bilby road, but Dr Deehan the ortho is terrific... I have been seeing he and his partners for about 20 years, no complaints and he is just terrific. He has taken care of our family knnes, hands, shoulders and bones over the years. Always a smile. Good luck to you!
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