Embolization for chronic joint pain

For chronic joint pain and tendon disorders, conservative and surgical treatments do not always achieve a striking success. With transarterial periarticular embolization (TAPE), we are now offering a new way of therapy.

The exact cause of chronic joint pain has been a long standing mystery in medicine. There is increasing evidence that inappropriate biomechanical stress and recurrent inflammatory stimuli lead to the development of pathologic vessels on a capillary level. Simultaneously pathologic nerve endings form, transmitting the pain to the brain. These nerves are oftentimes less and sometimes not at all susceptible to pain medication. Therefore pain relief is often only possible to a limited extent.

• Patients with chronic pain due to activated osteoarthritis (degenerative changes, inflammation) of large joints such as the shoulder- or knee or small joints found in finger or foot joints
• Patients with painful shoulder stiffness, also known as "frozen shoulder“
• Patients with chronic tendon pain caused by sports or anatomical anomalies (e.g. tennis or golfer's elbow, patellar tip syndrome also known as jumper's knee, plantar fasciitis or inflammation of a heel spur)
• Patients who do not benefit from physiotherapy, infiltration treatments or pain medications
• Patients who suffer from atypical symptoms where no promising surgical treatments are available or patients with an increased surgical risk (e.g. patients taking blood thinners, patients whose heart, lung or kidney function is impaired or patients with diabetes)

The indication for a joint embolization requires and individual evaluation and depends on previous treatments, pain development and the existing vascular status. Treatment is carried out in close cooperation with the Department of Orthopaedics, Hand and Trauma Surgery. Our experts in interventional radiology will conduct the catheter-assisted intervention.