A quick, image-guided treatment that targets inflammation at its source.

Yes—Medicare and many private plans cover it.

Anyone with chronic knee pain who’s tried injections, physical therapy, or meds and wants to avoid surgery.

Not necessarily. Osteoarthritis is often framed as a one-way road to surgery, but many patients have more options than they realize — especially before their joint damage becomes severe. Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) is a minimally invasive procedure that targets the abnormal blood flow linked to knee inflammation. It’s performed as outpatient care, requires no incisions in the joint, and has helped many patients reduce pain and get back to daily life without taking the surgical route. Whether you’re a candidate depends on your specific knee, your imaging, and your goals — which is exactly what a consultation with Dr. Shuster is designed to answer.

They’re three very different approaches. Cortisone (steroid) shots work by temporarily reducing inflammation in the joint space — but for many patients, the relief gets shorter and less effective over time. Knee replacement is a major surgery that removes and replaces the joint entirely, requiring hospitalization, anesthesia, and months of rehab — and it can’t be undone. GAE sits in a different category altogether. It’s a catheter-based, image-guided procedure that reduces the abnormal blood flow feeding inflammation around the knee. There’s no joint replacement, no large incision, and no hospital stay. Most patients walk in and walk out the same day. It’s not a shot, and it’s not surgery — it’s a third path that many people with ongoing knee pain haven’t been told about yet.