Will Viscosupplementation Be Approved for Treatment of Ankle Injuries
This is a transcript of a Dr. Jay Show broadcast on 1560TheGame in Houston, TX. Dr. J. Michael Bennett is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and a Fellowship Trained Sports Medicine Physician serving patients from Katy, Fort Bend County, Metro Houston and Southeast Texas from offices in Sugar Land, TX. Call 281-633-8600 for an appointment. Our special guest is Dr. Mark Vann, a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in foot and ankle injuries.
Here’s the transcript of the tenth section of the Show:
DR. J. MICHAEL BENNETT: We were talking about some new treatments prior to the call and we talked about the glucosamine and supplements as well as PRP. One thing that I have been using a lot in regards to joints is viscosupplementation. Unfortunately, it’s not really been approved for the ankle. Dr. Vann, do you think it’s ever going to get approved for the ankle?
DR. MARK VANN: It may get approved for the ankle but the big thing that’s different about the ankle versus the knee is just the size of it. You’ve actually got more weight traveling through the ankle yet it’s a much smaller joint as far as the surface area. I think viscosupplementation may provide some relief but I think so far we haven’t seen great results; we’re not seeing enough benefit. And of course the underlying benefit behind all of this is, will the insurers pay for a material that we’re not getting all of the satisfactory of good results from?
BENNETT: Just to define it, viscosupplementation is the lubricant injection, some people call it the rooster comb injection. It’s a hyaluronic acid that is injected into the joints to help with inflammation and pain.
Anyway, that’s pretty much it for the show today. Once again I wanted to give a shout out to the Texas Sports Medicine Institute and thank them for sponsoring the show. Like I said before, it’s your one-stop shop between Katy and Sugar Land regarding sports medicine and orthopedics. Feel free to drive by. Feel free to check us out next Saturday morning, 9 to 10 o’clock, Saturdays with Dr. Jay. We’re going to be talking about spine and some pain so come back with your questions. You can also find out some information about myself at www.jmichaelbennet.com and if you have any questions feel free to email me at that website as well. I appreciate you tuning in and we’ll see you next week.
Please call our office if you’d like to discuss orthopedic or sports medicine issues with Dr. Bennett. Our phone number is 281-633-8600.
