Gold Injections for Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis Pain

Are you suffering from knee and hip pain and stiffness? You may have osteoarthritis, a disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Fortunately, a potentially existing medical protocol of Gold Particle Injections may offer an alternative to expensive procedures like knee replacement therapy.

Should You Use Gold Injections for Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis Pain?

We say yes! This is an outcome of years of research by Danish & American medical scientists. Pilot human clinical trials are very promising. Advanced clinical trials are in works in the direction to get FDA approval. Currently, the procedure is available in Mexico & Denmark (administered by an American medical scientist).

What Is a Gold Shot for Osteoarthritis?

Gold Particles Injection therapy is a procedure where a physician implants a one-time low-dose of small particles of 99.99% pure elemental gold directly into the patient's joint.

According to Dr. Chris Fredrickson, the treatment is safe, and it can help relieve arthritic pain in the long term. This helps avoid an invasive knee or hip replacement or any related invasive surgery and cost.

Gold Injections for Rheumatoid Arthritis vs. Osteoarthritis

Doctors have been using gold injections to treat rheumatoid arthritis since the early 20th century. Injections made of gold salts, including auranofin and gold sodium thiomalate, were used to reduce joint pain and inflammation.

However, their use started to decline in the '90s due to the occurrence of side effects, giving place to other injections such as methotrexate, hyaluronic acid, platelet-rich plasma, and placental tissue matrix.^[4]

In turn, Gold Particles Injection may help to reduce joint pain and inflammation in both conditions. As Dr. Robert MacLauchlan explains in this video, 20 milligrams of small gold particles are used to suppress the pain and the inflammation of joints only when needed.

These particles interact with the body’s immune system, stimulating the release of substances to stop pain and inflammation pathways. The level of inflammation determines how much of the ion complexes are released from the microparticles.

Do They Still Give Gold Shots for Arthritis?

Myocrisin (Sodium aurothiomalate) and Solganal (aurothioglucose) injections are no longer available in the U.S. The FDA-approved gold salt Auranofin is an oral capsule indicated for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

However, oral gold may not be as effective as injected gold. Also, it offers more toxicity than other drugs used in the treatment of arthritis.^[5]

Although gold shots have become rare, some scientists still believe gold salts deserve a second chance.

Dr. David Pisetsky is the chief of the division of rheumatology and immunology in the Duke University Department of Medicine.

Is Gold Anti-Inflammatory?

Gold salts are known for their immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. The mechanism of action of these drugs is not fully understood.

Sodium aurothiomalate may inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins (hormones created at the injury site).^[7] Aurothioglucose inhibits the activity of an enzyme called adenylyl cyclase in our immune cells, blocking the action of pro-inflammatory substances.^[8]

Auranofin can also suppress inflammation by inhibiting the activity of certain enzymes.^[9]

What Are the Benefits of Gold Therapy?

A pilot study conducted at the Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark investigated the role of gold ions in treating knee osteoarthritis. Thirty patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis received a single injection of metallic gold (20 mg) into the knee joint. The researchers observed the following benefits of the therapy:^[10]

• An improvement in the WOMAC score - a self questionnaire that evaluates the condition of patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis
• Improved joint pain
• Improved joint function
• An improvement in joint stiffness

The authors of the study concluded that intra-articular metallic gold improved joint pain, stiffness, and function. The therapy relieved pain and enhanced function in more than 80% of the patients.^[11]

A study investigated the effects of metallic gold implanted around painful joints in animal models. Dogs with pain and loss of function due to hip dysplasia that received gold transplants had less pain and loss of function compared to those that didn’t.

After two years, 80% of the animals still showed a positive effect of the treatment, with reduced pain and better quality of life.^[12]

Gold Injections From Sodium Aurothiomalate vs. Gold Particles for Knee/Hip Pain

The injections composed of gold salts like sodium aurothiomalate (Myochrysine) are applied to the patient's muscles. The patients receive a weekly dose, and the treatment continues for several weeks until toxicity occurs. The maintenance treatment consists of an injection every 2-4 weeks.^[13]

In turn, the gold particles therapy consists of gold microbeads injected into the affected joint. A small amount, 20 mg of gold microbeads, is injected into your joint's intraarticular space. Once injected, your immune system stimulates the release of soluble ions that suppress the inflammation.

These ions are the same active metabolite of gold salts used in Auranofin and Myochrysine, well-known anti-rheumatoid drugs. However, this therapy is local and uses a much smaller amount than what is used in systemic treatments. Thus, it has less potential to cause side effects.

A one-time injection into an arthritic joint has shown to reduce or eliminate joint pain and significantly improve mobility. This therapy offers immediate and long-lasting relief for people with chronic pain in the knee or hip.

Gold Injections From Sodium Aurothiomalate vs. Gold Particles for Knee/Hip Pain

The injections composed of gold salts like sodium aurothiomalate (Myochrysine) are applied to the patient's muscles. The patients receive a weekly dose, and the treatment continues for several weeks until toxicity occurs. The maintenance treatment consists of an injection every 2-4 weeks (12).

In turn, the gold particles therapy consists of gold microbeads injected into the affected joint. A small amount, 20 mg of gold microbeads, is injected into your joint's intraarticular space. Once injected, your immune system stimulates the release of soluble ions that suppress the inflammation (13).

These ions are the same active metabolite of gold salts used in Auranofin and Myochrysine, well-known anti-rheumatoid drugs. However, this therapy is local and uses a much smaller amount than what is used in systemic treatments. Thus, it has less potential to cause side effects (13).

A one-time injection into an arthritic joint has shown to reduce or eliminate joint pain and significantly improve mobility. This therapy offers immediate and long-lasting relief for people with chronic pain in the knee or hip (13).

Conclusion

Osteoarthritis is a chronic and disabling disease that can make it difficult to perform everyday tasks, impacting patients' quality of life and productivity.

The disease has no cure, and treatment is based on pain medications, which cause several undesirable adverse events. Another option is surgery, an invasive treatment with a difficult recovery.

The gold injection is a treatment with well-known anti-inflammatory properties. However, these treatments are no longer used in clinical practice due to the occurrence of adverse reactions. These drugs are administered orally or intramuscularly, acting systemically in the body. Also, several doses are required to achieve a therapeutic effect.

Gold Particles Injection Therapy consists of injecting gold particles into the joints' intra-articular space. The treatment is local and done only once, which can reduce discomfort and adverse reactions. Preliminary studies have shown that this innovative treatment can reduce pain, inflammation, and knee and hip joint function.

For relief from your knee or hip pain, contact us. We will connect you to a medical professional to know if Gold Particles Injection Therapy is suitable for you.