New Study Finds Ultrasound-Guided knee Injections for osteoarthritis to be 95-100% Accurate
June 23, 2013
A recent study examined the accuracy of ultrasound-guided injections to the inside, outside, and upper portions of the knee joint. Prior studies on cadavers have shown that no matter how experienced the surgeon, they may only have a 55% accuracy rate without using x ray or ultrasound to visualize the joint space. The new study found that 38 out of 40 (95% accurate) injections to the inside part of the knee joint, 39 out of 40 (98.5% accurate) to the outside, and a perfect 40 out of 40 (100% accurate) to the upper portion were confirmed to be placed in the correct location on just the first attempt. The study concluded that ultrasound-guided injections can easily be used to access the knee joint at the three locations studied with a high degree of accuracy. At the Orthohealing Center, all injections are performed under ultrasound-guidance to ensure the sites of injury are accessed as precisely as possible. In many cases we see an improved clinical outcome in a patient that had blind injections elsewhere. Ultrasound, (commonly used for looking at a baby), allows for the injections to be placed consistently within 1 millimeter of the locations targeted for treatment. Increasingly patients are becoming more aware of this technology and are demanding it to enhance outcomes and to reduce discomfort & fear of the needle.