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If knee pain is limiting your mobility, daily activities, or overall quality of life, genicular artery embolization (GAE) may offer meaningful relief without surgery. The Centers for Pain Control & Vein Care team performs this minimally invasive, image-guided treatment at our offices in Hobart, LaPorte, Munster, and Valparaiso, Indiana. Our specialists use advanced technology and personalized, compassionate care to help reduce inflammation, ease pain, and restore function.
Learn more by calling 219-476-7246 or requesting an appointment online today.
Genicular Artery Embolization Q&A
What is Genicular Artery Embolization, or GAE?
Genicular artery embolization (GAE) is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure that treats some kinds of knee pain (most often pain from osteoarthritis) by deliberately blocking tiny, abnormal blood vessels around the knee called genicular arteries. These abnormal vessels feed inflamed tissue and pain pathways; closing them off can reduce inflammation and pain without open surgery. GAE can block these extra arteries, which can decrease inflammation and get rid of nerves that cause pain.
Who can benefit from a Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE)?
While they do not cure osteoarthritis, genicular artery embolization procedures help patients improve their quality of life, reduce the use of opioids and other pain-killers, and avoid pain management injections or physical therapy.
GAE is usually considered for people who:
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Have knee osteoarthritis (OA) or persistent knee pain despite conservative care (exercise, medications, steroid injections).
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Want to delay or avoid knee replacement or are not good candidates for surgery.
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Have localized knee pain and imaging or clinical findings that suggest a vascular / inflammatory component to the pain. Your doctor will decide if GAE is appropriate for your specific knee and health history.
What can I expect during a Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE)?
The procedure can be done with or without sedation; you will be awake and ready to go home shortly after the procedure. Under image-guidance, your physician places a thin, hollow tube called a catheter into the patient's artery by gaining access through the foot or upper thigh in some cases.
Using X-rays, the catheter is guided down to the arteries that supply blood to the tissue that lines the knee. Once it is in position, your physician injects tiny particles that block the abnormal arteries. This reduces inflammation, abnormal nerves, and pain.
As a result of the procedure, patients can expect to experience a reduction in pain and other functional symptoms of osteoarthritis.
What can I expect after a Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE)?
After the procedure, mild-to-moderate soreness or tenderness around the knee or at the catheter access site is common for a few days. Many patients notice improvement in their knee pain within days to weeks, while others may experience gradual relief over one to three months. Individual results vary, so your recovery timeline may differ.