What is a Cingal® injection?
Cingal is a single-injection treatment proven to safely and effectively treat the pain, swelling and inflamation associated with knee osteoarthritis. It combines two well-established treatments in a single injection, providing the benefits of both an approved corticosteroid and a high concentration of hyaluronic acid formulation.
The corticosteroid reduces inflammation in the knee joint, providing rapid pain relief within days of injection, while the hyaluronic acid component works in parallel to deliver long lasting pain relief.
How does it work?
A knee joint affected by osteoarthritis typically has lower concentrations of hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid, the thick liquid that helps cushion and lubricate the knee. As a result, the synovial fluid in an osteoarthritic knee has lower viscosity and elasticity than healthy synovial fluid, decreasing its ability to lubricate the joint and absorb shocks.
Cingal is designed to supplement the reduced amount of natural HA in synovial fluid in osteoarthritic knee joints. The formulation of Cingal allows for long-term relief of the symptoms of OA through lubrication and mechanical support from the viscosupplement component, enhanced by short-term pain relief provided by the steroid element.
Who could benefit from Cingal?
Cingal® is suitable for patients who have mild to moderate osteoarthritis (OA) and where treatments such as lifestyle changes or pain medications are no longer proving effective in managing their pain.
It can help patients who are looking for quick results, want to remain active, prefer a single visit treatment, or are looking to delay reconstructive knee surgery.
How long can it take to work?
The steroid element of the injection can provide short term pain relief within in a few days. Some patients do feel relief almost immediately but most will take between one and 5 weeks for the effects of the viscosupplement to gradually build up.
Effects can last for upto 6 months or more.
Can I have more than one injection?
Yes, patients often get relief for 6 months or more but you can return for a repeat injection when symptoms return.
Are there any side effects or risks?
Cingal® has undergone a lot of research and safety testing. There are small risks of knee joint pain, rash and swelling. As it is an injection there is the possibly of some pain afterwards around the injection site and a very small risk of an infection. This is extremely rare as we only inject in strict sterile conditions.
Is Cingal® evidence based?
There are a number of studies that support the safe use of cingal for sustained pain relief in knee osteoarthritis. We have pasted some links below to a number of studies within the evidence base.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01891396