Knee Replacement Looming? Explore These Alternatives First

You’ve been fighting the arthritis in your knee for years, and now the time has finally come: Your doctor told you the only treatment left is a knee replacement.

But is that true?

Before you hop on the operating table, it’s worth a minute to explore the alternatives to knee replacement we offer at Carolina Joint and Arthritis. Led by Dr. Austin Yeargan, we’ve spent years developing and improving other options. Here’s what you should know.

Why do you need knee replacement?

If you’re considering knee replacement, you’re likely close to the end of a long road of treatments for osteoarthritis as the cartilage in your knee has steadily worn away. You’ve probably had steroid injections, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy to increase your muscle strength.

Eventually, though, all these treatments stop working because arthritis keeps progressing, and you’re left with the pain and limited mobility that bone-on-bone contact in your knees brings. This is when traditional doctors tell you a partial or total knee replacement is the only option you have left.

What are the alternatives?

Dr. Yeargan is an expert in the field of orthobiologics, which explores regenerative treatments developed from biologic, or natural, substances. Techniques in orthobiologics include platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate (ABMAC), both of which Dr. Yeargan uses to treat patients.

He has also developed a procedure based on these two therapies that has proved to be  successful at delaying the need for knee replacement surgery for at least five years. This therapy, called the Nanoplasty® and Mechanical Axis Deviation Procedure (NAMAD), is designed to restore the damaged cartilage in your knee.

Dr. Yeargan takes healing cells from your bone marrow, combines them with anti-inflammatory proteins, and injects the mixture into the bone underneath the damaged cartilage and directly into your knee joint. 

From here, your body’s natural healing processes take over as these specialized cells heal the damaged cartilage while also regenerating new cartilage and bone, resulting in less pain and improved joint movement and giving you better mobility.

Am I a good candidate?

Many patients who have been told that knee replacement is their only option have benefited from NAMAD. The best way to determine if this procedure will work for you is to visit Dr. Yeargan with any x-rays, MRIs, or other images you may have. 

To schedule an appointment at Carolina Joint and Arthritis, call our Wilmington, North Carolina,  office or use our online scheduler to book your own time.