What is iovera°?
iovera° is a safe, innovative, and non-opioid pain relief treatment used prior to knee replacement surgery. It uses extreme cold to stop nerves from sending pain signals to your brain. This effect is immediate, and can last up to 90 days.
The iovera° system is a handheld device that lets Austin Dale, CRNA and Pain Management Specialist, apply just the right amount of extreme cold only to the nerves he wants to target—the ones causing you pain. This process delivers immediate pain relief in the time it takes for a routine doctor’s visit, and it doesn’t hurt. iovera° does not contain medicine, is safe, and does not damage or destroy surrounding tissue.
Who can benefit from iovera° treatment?
iovera° is a treatment for:
- People who have osteoarthritis (OA) pain in the knee
- People who are considering knee replacement surgery (iovera° can be used before surgery)
- People who have been avoiding surgery due to fear or another reason
iovera° Relieves Pain Before and After Surgery
Total joint surgery may be in your future, but a painful recovery doesn't have to be. The iovera° treatment can be performed prior to knee surgery to help reduce pain after surgery. The system uses the body's natural response to cold to block the signaling portion of a nerve, temporarily reducing pain during the critical weeks following surgery. The results of a clinical trial that compared patients treated with iovera° to patients who were not treated with iovera° showed that iovera° patients had:
- Fewer opioid prescriptions - Patients who received iovera° treatment requested 45% fewer opioid prescriptions at 12 weeks after knee replacement surgery1
- Reduction in Knee Pain - Two weeks after surgery, patients treated with iovera° experienced less pain1
- Faster Discharge - more patients treated with iovera° were discharged within 2 days of surgery1
Talk to Your Doctor About iovera°
iovera° treatment requires a physician referral.
For a knee consultation, please contact Prairie Lakes Orthopedics at 605-882-2630.
References: 1. Dasa V et al. Knee. 2016;23(3):523-528.
Indication:
iovera° applies freezing cold to peripheral nerve tissue to block and/or relieve pain for up to 90 days. It should not be used to treat central nervous system tissue.
Important Safety Information:
The iovera° system should not be used in people with the following conditions:
- Do not receive treatment with ioveraº if you experience hypersensitivity to cold or have open and/or infected wounds near the treatment site.
- You may experience bruising, swelling, inflammation and/or redness, local pain and/or tenderness, and altered feeling at the site of application.
- In treatment area(s), you may experience damage to the skin, skin darkening or lightening, and dimples in the skin.
- You may experience a temporary loss of your ability to use your muscles normally outside of the treatment area.
- Talk to your doctor before receiving treatment with ioveraº.