Experiencing knee pain? Here's a non-surgical alternative treatment method

Sudden injury, wear and tear, extended periods of immobility — whatever the reason may be, the cartilage surrounding the joints of the knee is not impervious to damage. For some, the pain of an injured knee joint may affect everyday life, limiting mobility and complicating day-to-day routines.

In some cases, surgery may be necessary, but with the cost of a knee replacement in the United States averaging $57,000 and a recovery time ranging from four months to a full year, that price tag may be too high. Plus, aside from cost and recovery, there are additional studies that suggest up to one in three knee surgeries were unnecessary or inappropriate, and those who had them done only suffered from relatively minor symptoms.

Jeromie Pittman, 73, and his wife Cornelia, 78, had been suffering from varying degrees of joint pain for years. The two work in the greenhouse industry and Pittman often uses his feet to slide things like plants, pots and bags of soil around instead of lifting them. In doing so, he wore down his knee joints and — coupled with his arthritis and growing age — found he was in a significant amount of pain that limited his mobility.

"When we first started, the doctor had to fly in from California and give us our injections every week — and not just ours but everyone's. He had a whole day or two, then he'd fly back to a practice he still had out in California," Jermoie said. "They have X-ray to guide the needle here. My wife had cortisone put in her knee by our other doctor once, and she said he hit the bone and told her, 'I don't do this too often.' At Flexogenix, they see where the needle's going, and I've never had any pain."

Pittman and his wife have been using the modified viscosupplementation treatment offered by Flexogenix for the past seven years, receiving injections filled with hyaluronic acid to improve their conditions. The treatment works by adding lubrication to the affected joints, increasing cushioning and renourishing cartilage.

For those in an age group similar to the Pittmans, knee pain is a common ailment. In fact, in the United States, around one in four women and one in five men over the age of 60 suffer from knee pain, with symptoms including inflammation, rigidity and reduced mobility.

Similar to Pittman's case, joint damage can be caused by stress on joints, as well as trauma or sudden impact and lack of exercise. Without timely treatment, it could lead to serious long-term issues. For those suffering from knee pain, you should consider seeing a specialist if:

While the treatment Flexogenix provides takes time, Pittman has experienced the benefits and relief from these symptoms first-hand.

"It's not going to work overnight, so you have to keep it up, and you get a little better each day. Sometimes it's two to three weeks before you really see a good amount of results, but it's because you put in the injection, and it takes time to work with your body and rebuild some of that cartilage," Jeromie said. "You have to be consistent, because we can tell when those three months are about to end, but there are such good results. We see a lot of the same people over the years that come back — just like we do every three months."

Patient results vary, as does the frequency of their needed visits. While the Pittmans go to the clinic every three months, other patients experience relief for up to six months or longer depending on the condition of the joints, as well as factoring in what their insurance will cover.

For the Pittmans, the Flexogenix Knee-Flex 5-Step Protocol has proven effective in helping them manage pain and continue to stay active and mobile in their greenhouse.

This five-step method includes an assessment of contributing factors and a conditioning prescription for dealing with them — dubbed Kineti-Flex. Finally, the last steps of the method includes knee alignment through bracing and promoting continued healing through Platelet Rich Plasma.

The program boasts a success rate of over 90 percent and has helped more than 40,000 patients avoid knee surgery.