Question
Hi, my diagnose is Ankylosing Spondilitis (AS). In the beginning I had a pain in the knee and hip joints. Than it moved to my neck and to the small of my back. First time that happened in 1993 when I was 20. At the moment the most of my time I don’t feel too much pain. But after some stress situation AS is being activated and at that time I need to use some medicaments (indomethacin and others). Also I’ m using bosswelia serata (Sallaki) which helps me a lot. 2 years ago my doctor (rheumatologist) prescribed my the injections HYALGAN and since than I received a lot of those injection in my knees and my hips. I don’t know how much those injections helped me, but they are really expensive. This is why I would like to ask you is it really necessary to me to use those injection to treat AS? I have read that those injection can be prescribed only for osteoarthritis of the knee. Is that true?
Answer
Hyalgan is approved only for osteoarthritis of the knee in the U.S.. I have seen studies showing its usefulness in inflammatory arthritis but I do not have any direct experience with use of Hyalgan in those types of arthritis. You need to discuss your observations with your doctor to decide if they are worth it.
