Why More San Antonio Women Are Choosing a Minimally-Invasive Knee Procedure Over Knee Replacement
Dr. John S. Hogg, DABR, DABVLM, RPVI, RPhS, RVT, RVS | Founder, MedicalVein Clinic®
Chronic knee pain has direct and indirect effects on our bodies. When you experience consistent knee pain, you start scanning a room for chairs that have armrests so you can push yourself up. Or go to great lengths to avoid stairs. You choose your airplane seat based on how hard it’ll be to stand or scoot. Knee pain stops being a thing that hurts and becomes the thing that runs your life.
If this resonates with you, there’s an option many people in San Antonio still haven’t heard of. It’s called Genicular Artery Embolization, or GAE, and it’s a minimally invasive procedure. Think walk-in, walk-out with very little rehab time, that treats chronic knee pain.
Doctors in Japan started using the procedure years ago to treat arthritis pain, and the results held up. It’s since spread to specialized clinics in the U.S., though it’s still uncommon here. Most people think of knee arthritis as a wear-and-tear problem. Cartilage thins, bone rubs on bone, and your knees hurt. That’s part of it.
But much arthritis pain comes from joint inflammation fed by tiny abnormal blood vessels that have grown around the joint. More blood flowing to those vessels means more inflammation, which means more pain. GAE works by rerouting the blood supply that feeds this inflammation. Using live imaging, the doctor threads a thin catheter into the small arteries feeding the inflamed area and quietly closes them down. Less blood flow, less inflammation, less pain. There’s no incision, no cutting into the joint, no hospital stay. The whole thing takes 30 to 60 minutes, you’re awake but relaxed, and you go home the same day.
“Most knee pain gets looked at purely as a structural problem, and that misses half the picture,” says Dr. Thomas Gianis, the board-certified vascular surgeon who performs GAE at Medical Vein Clinic. “We’re treating the circulation that’s actively driving the inflammation. When that calms down, the pain goes away.”
So why is Medical Vein Clinic® one of the only clinics in San Antonio and South Texas doing this procedure? It comes down to expertise and sophisticated equipment. GAE needs extremely precise imaging technology to find and treat arteries smaller than a strand of spaghetti. We’ve made a significant investment to bring this innovative and effective solution to our patients. The GAE procedure at Medical Vein Clinic is performed by Dr. Thomas Gianis, a board-certified vascular surgeon and fellowship-trained endovascular specialist with extensive experience. The question I get most often is “Am I a good candidate for this procedure?”
Picture two women:
The first is in her late eighties. She’s had her third fall this year and her knees clearly need attention, but her doctor is worried surgery would be too hard on her heart. For her, major surgery isn’t a safe trade. GAE doesn’t put that kind of stress on the body, so a procedure that was off the table suddenly isn’t.
The second just underwent a hip replacement. She knows the time and costs involved with recovery. The thought of going through it again for her knee is more than she can face. She isn’t ready for another big surgery, yet she doesn’t want to choose between that and living in pain.
Both of these women are textbook candidates. So is anyone who’s dealt with moderate to severe knee pain, tried the usual route for at least six months (physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, steroid and gel injections), and still hasn’t gotten relief. People who’ve already had a knee replacement but still hurt can qualify, too.
GAE isn’t a magic fix for everyone, and it doesn’t rebuild a joint that’s truly bone-on-bone and mechanically gone. What it does is treat the inflammation driving the pain, and for the right person, that’s the difference between living around a bad knee and forgetting it’s there. Most patients get relief that lasts up to three years, with the knee pain fading gradually over the first few weeks.
Because GAE leaves the joint untouched, you can still have replacement surgery later if it comes to that. Starting here doesn’t close that door.
One San Antonio patient put it better than any brochure could. After years at a 7 or 8 on a pain scale of 10 being the worst, her pain and discomfort are almost zero. But what surprised her wasn’t the pain relief. It was how much of her life came back. Ease in getting in and out of the car. Walking without making a plan to avoid stairs. Not organizing her life and mobility around her knee limitations.
If your knees are starting to run your day, the time to get evaluated is before surgery becomes the only thing left. The earlier you ask, the more options you will have open to you.
Dr. John Hogg, MD, is a board-certified radiologist specializing in Vascular and Interventional Radiology and the founder of Medical Vein Clinic, which has helped thousands of San Antonio patients since 2017. The GAE procedure is performed by Dr. Thomas Gianis, a board-certified vascular surgeon and fellowship-trained endovascular specialist. Medical Vein Clinic has two San Antonio locations, Stone Oak and Alamo Ranch. To learn more or find out if GAE is right for you, call 210-622-8000 or visit medicalveinclinic.com.
