Inject your own fat to ease pain of arthritis

INJECTIONS of fat into the joints may be a way to reduce the pain of arthritis, according to a new claim by surgeons.

In a groundbreaking trial, the jabs are being given to 100 patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis.

The treatment provides lubrication inside the joint to improve function and reduce the pain and stiffness.

The small amount of donor fat is taken from the patient’s own body, selected according to their own wishes and fat availability, with the entire procedure performed as daycare surgery under local anaesthetic and sedation.

During the surgery, the fat is obtained and prepared, then injected into the joint cavity of the osteoarthritic knee.

Patients are discharged soon afterwards with antibiotics and painkillers, then followed up to see if joint function has improved and whether there is a reduction in pain and stiffness.

Osteoarthritis, which affects more than eight million people in the UK, is caused by the wearing away of the smooth cartilage lining joints, making movement more difficult and leading to inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness.

Treatment options are limited, typically focusing on pain relief and improving the movement of the joint, and in severe cases, joint-replacement surgery.

The study was carried out at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Saudi Arabia, and the lead researcher said: ‘Like a car gearbox, joints work best when they have good levels of lubrication, and it is normally provided by synovial, a thick gel-like material.

‘In osteoarthritis sufferers, one element of this fluid, hyaluronic acid, does not work properly. Some research suggests improving lubrication with injections of hyaluronic acid.

‘We believe a simple injection of fat will improve chronic osteoarthritis. We are using the self-lubricating effect of patients’ own fat to improve function and reduce pain.’

The trial results will be reported in the British Medical Journal in December.