A minimally invasive procedure that temporarily blocks excess blood vessels around the knee provided lasting pain relief for many people with knee osteoarthritis, according to a clinical study involving 194 patients.

Researchers reported that 80% of participants experienced clinically meaningful reductions in knee pain for at least one full year after undergoing the treatment. The findings point to a potential option for patients seeking relief without total knee replacement.

The procedure could help address a treatment gap for adults whose chronic joint pain is no longer adequately managed with pain medications or steroid injections. It does not require major surgery or leave a permanent implant inside the body.

Osteoarthritis gradually wears down cartilage within a joint. The condition also causes the body to grow unnecessary blood vessels around the knee, which can increase inflammation and irritate nearby nerves, according to Mayo Clinic.

The treatment, called genicular artery embolization, or GAE, targets those excess blood vessels. By temporarily obstructing them, doctors aim to decrease inflammation and quiet the nerves involved in sensing pain.

GAE uses microscopic gelatin particles that dissolve over time. Researchers said the absence of permanent foreign material could make the procedure a repeatable, low risk approach for helping patients remain active and preserve joint function for longer.

“For many patients with knee osteoarthritis, there is a real treatment gap today,” said Florian Nima Fleckenstein, M.D., deputy head of Interventional Radiology Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in a press release.

“Our study demonstrates that GAE using rapidly resorbable gelatin-based microspheres is a safe, minimally invasive therapy that provides meaningful pain relief and functional improvement in participants with osteoarthritis-related knee symptoms for at least 12 months.”

During the procedure, doctors rely on real time X-ray guidance to direct a thin, flexible tube into blood vessels surrounding the knee joint. Tiny gelatin particles are then released into selected vessels to slow excess blood flow to inflamed areas.

The particles naturally dissolve after calming the local inflammation. Across 239 procedures performed among the 194 study participants, no severe complications were reported.

Mild side effects affected 6.7% of participants. Those effects included temporary skin discoloration and minor bruising, and the reported problems resolved without additional intervention.

“In our cohort, we saw a significant drop in pain and a significant increase in function, including sports and recreation and daily activity,” Fleckenstein said. “Most importantly, their quality of life significantly increased.”

Participants reported improvements extending beyond pain relief. They described greater ease while walking, climbing stairs and bending, while their overall quality of life scores more than doubled during the 12 month follow up period.

The researchers also identified important limitations that prevent the findings from offering definitive proof. Most notably, the study did not include a control group that received a mock or placebo procedure.

Without such a comparison group, researchers cannot clearly separate the physical effects of the dissolvable particles from possible placebo effects. Larger randomized studies will be needed to confirm the treatment’s physiological impact.

The study also followed participants for only one year. Additional research must determine how long pain relief typically continues and how frequently patients might require repeat procedures.

GAE reduces inflammation and pain, but researchers emphasized that it is not a cure for knee osteoarthritis. The procedure neither rebuilds cartilage that has already been lost nor reverses structural damage within the joint.

Larger randomized trials are currently underway to confirm the early findings.