BETTER LIVING
One woman’ s journey with a procedure most knee patients have never heard of
BY LYNNE PERRY Southern Kentucky Vascular
For more than two years, a Rockholds woman could not walk down a flight of stairs without pain. She struggled to get into the passenger side of a vehicle. She watched her seven-year-old nephew from the sidelines.
She had done everything her doctors asked. Physical therapy, intense, twice-weekly sessions for two full years. Injections every three months. Rest. She was 51 years old, had been athletic most of her life, and had played softball for three decades. By late 2024, her orthopedic surgeon was discussing a total knee replacement.
Then she found something she hadn’ t known existed.
Researching non-surgical treatment options, she found Southern Kentucky Vascular and Dr. Don W. Brown. After reading patient reviews, she scheduled a consultation. When she mentioned the appointment to her orthopedic surgeon, he said he would look into the procedure. A few hours later, his office called back. He was on board.
Her procedure was performed as an outpatient. She went home the same day. Her father, who had driven her, reached out of habit to steady her as she walked to the car. She didn’ t need it.“ Amazing.” That was the word she used. Then she walked to the car on her own.
Two weeks later, she walked a full mile without stopping. She climbed stairs. She went down stairs facing forward. She got in and out of a swimming pool with her nephew. The visible swelling that had distorted her knee for two years was gone. For the first time in two years, both knees looked nearly the same.
Her physical therapist returned to their next session with new energy. She said it felt like she had almost a brand new knee to work with.
Asked what her most valuable insight from the entire experience had been, Christina Partin didn’ t hesitate.“ That this existed,” she said. She is still in early recovery, and her physicians have been clear that individual results vary and that the procedure does not repair structural damage. But she is walking. She is climbing stairs. She is cautiously eyeing those bases.
“ I played softball for 30 years. Maybe those quick turns are something I’ ll have to work up to. But if that happens, I’ m coming back to give another interview.” So What Is GAE, and Who Is It For? Q: WHAT IS GENICULAR ARTERY
Christina Partin of Rockholds thought she would need a total knee replacement before the GAE procedure. | PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
EMBOLIZATION? GAE is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that reduces chronic knee pain by decreasing blood flow to inflamed tissue in the knee joint. A small catheter is guided to the arteries surrounding the knee through a tiny puncture. No implants. No general anesthesia. Most patients go home the same day.
Q: HOW COMMON IS ARTHRITIS IN KENTUCKY?
Very. Kentucky consistently ranks among the states with the highest age-adjusted arthritis prevalence in the nation, affecting an estimated 30 percent of adults. More than 32 million Americans have osteoarthritis, and more than half of those with knee osteoarthritis will eventually have a total knee replacement. For many, there has been little between conservative treatment and surgery, until now.
Q: DOES THE RESEARCH SUPPORT IT?
A growing body of clinical evidence does. A 2025 meta-analysis found that GAE provides meaningful pain relief for a substantial proportion of patients who have exhausted conservative therapies, with improved function and quality of life in responders and a very low complication rate. A two-year prospective trial found that 72 percent of patients who responded at 12 months maintained durable results at 24 months.
Q: IS GAE A REPLACEMENT FOR KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY?
Not necessarily, and not for everyone. GAE targets inflammation and pain, not structural damage such as torn ligaments or meniscus tears. For some patients it may delay or eliminate the need for surgery. For others it may serve as a bridge. A thorough consultation with a qualified specialist determines whether a patient is a candidate.
Q: HOW DO I FIND OUT IF I QUALIFY?
Consult a board-certified vascular specialist who performs GAE. Candidates are typically patients with moderate to severe knee pain who have not found adequate relief from physical therapy, injections, or other conservative treatments. A NOTE ON COLLABORATIVE CARE Christina’ s experience reflects something the team at Southern Kentucky Vascular emphasizes in every patient interaction: GAE works best as part of a collaborative, coordinated care approach. The practice communicates openly with patients’ primary care physicians and orthopedic providers, and firmly believes that the full range of medical expertise available in our community serves patients best when it works together.
If you are living with knee pain and wondering whether your options have been fully explored, the first step is a conversation, with your own doctor, with a specialist, or with the team at Southern Kentucky Vascular. GAE is not the right answer for everyone. But for the patients it does serve, the difference it makes is real, and it is happening right here, at home.
“ Don’ t give up on yourself, or assume you’ ve run through all the options.”— Christina Partin, Rockholds, KY
DON’ T LET ANOTHER SUMMER PASS YOU BY
If knee pain has been keeping you on the sideline, whether that means skipping a fishing trip, sitting out a grandchild’ s ballgame, or simply dreading the walk from the parking lot, it may be time to find out whether more options are available than you realize.
Southern Kentucky Vascular invites community members to learn more about whether GAE may be right for them. Schedule a consultation, talk to your primary care provider about adding GAE to the conversation, or share this series with a neighbor who has been quietly managing knee pain for too long.
More options exist than many people realize. And now, more of those options are available right here in Somerset.
To schedule a GAE consultation, visit southernkentuckyvascular. com or call 606-531- 4100.
GOOD HEALTH 2026 l 3