“I spent this past week in my yard, power washing, doing some painting, trimming with the electric trimmer. I mean, I can do anything I want to really,” says 78-year-old Judy, whose life transformed after a procedure most Americans have never heard of.
Just months earlier, she couldn’t even open her microwave or lift a fork to eat.
Judy was one of a couple of patients we interviewed on the latest episode of “The Heart of Innovation” as we broadcast live from the Multidisciplinary Musculoskeletal Care Conference hosted by Vascular Solutions of North Carolina. With Dr. John Phillips off saving “piggies” (his affectionate term for patients’ feet) at the hospital, I welcomed guest co-host Justin Lesh, CEO of Patient Pro Marketing, who was on site interviewing physicians and patients.
The focus of the conference was bringing together all stakeholders dealing with osteoarthritis pain—orthopedic surgeons, interventional cardiologists, pain management physicians, and physical therapists—to discuss ways everyone can work together to best help patients. Among the treatment options highlighted was a promising minimally invasive procedure called artery embolization.
The Multidisciplinary Approach
“If your body is a house, I’m the wall guy, I’m the bone guy. The electricity guy is the nerve guy. And the water flow guy is the vascular guy,” explained Dr. Hardy Singh, an orthopedic surgeon speaking at the conference. “We all have to come together to make the house function.”
This metaphor captured the essence of the conference: bringing together specialists from various disciplines to improve patient outcomes through collaboration.
“The number one thing that’s hurting our patients today is communication,” Dr. Singh continued. “We don’t communicate as providers, we don’t document. Every doctor gets to play the telephone game of what did you say last time? It’s hurting patients.”
This siloed approach to medicine has long left patients falling through the cracks. As I’ve seen in my work with the Global PAD Association, more than 70% of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are initially misdiagnosed as they’re shuttled between specialists, each viewing only one piece of the puzzle.
It’s also an issue with PAD patients as well as others who suffer from osteoarthritis. The orthopedic surgeon may not have a surgical option available to a patient. So, they send the patient to physical therapy. If that doesn’t provide relief for the patient, they may be sent to vascular to assess the arteries again. If that’s not the problem, the patient is sent to pain management.
It’s just a never-ending cycle for these patients leaving so many without hope.
That’s why Dr. Sid Rao, founder of the Conference and Vascular Solutions of North Carolina wanted to bring all stakeholders together to talk about pain and how they can better communicate to ensure everyone is aware of all treatment options available for osteoarthrities, especially the newer, minimally invasive, artery embolization.
How Artery Embolization Works
During our broadcast, Justin explained how artery embolization targets specific blood vessels that contribute to inflammation and pain in affected joints.
“The doctor goes in through a catheter and puts a tiny little embolization particle to stop some of these blood vessels that have grown and are contributing to the inflammation,” he reported after speaking with physicians at the conference.
What he’s describing is quite fascinating. In osteoarthritis, the body develops new abnormal blood vessels around affected joints as part of the inflammatory response. These blood vessels actually contribute to the pain and swelling that make movement difficult. Embolization works by strategically blocking these specific vessels.
During the procedure, doctors insert a thin catheter through a small incision, usually in the groin area, and guide it precisely to the problematic blood vessels using advanced imaging technology. They then release tiny particles that block these vessels, reducing blood flow to the inflamed areas without affecting healthy tissue or normal blood supply to the joint. It’s like turning down the volume on the inflammation without disrupting the joint’s normal function.
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, and most patients go home the same day. Many report improvement in their symptoms within days or even hours.
Research shows that embolization can provide relief lasting up to two years, with some studies suggesting even longer benefits. As Justin noted during our broadcast, “If that gets you two years to get walking, to get healthy, to get in shape, and the worst-case scenario is it just doesn’t work, there’s no real downside.”
Patient Success Stories
Khalid Iqbal shared his experience with hand embolization on our broadcast. He had suffered from severe arthritis in his left thumb that progressively limited his mobility.
“I could not open any jar. I could not push anything. I could not hold anything in my hand,” Khalid explained. “My severity at that time was in the high 90s.”
What made his story particularly interesting was that Khalid was introduced to the procedure by his son, Amr Iqbal, who serves as COO of Vascular Solutions of North Carolina. Khalid decided to have his hands treated only after seeing how well his wife responded to knee embolization. She was walking thousands of steps the day after her procedure.
After undergoing embolization with Dr. Sid Rao, Khalid experienced significant improvement. “I was moving my thumb. The next day, I drove to Virginia using my hand.” As a retired mechanical engineer who still enjoys tinkering with tools, regaining hand function transformed his daily life.
For Judy, who we heard from earlier, the procedure quite literally gave her life back. After being told she needed shoulder replacement surgery with a six-month recovery—impossible for someone living alone as a widow—she found hope in embolization.
“They give you a shot… That was the only thing that had to heal up,” Judy explained on our show. “When you go out, you are good to go.”
Her relief was immediate. She later had the same procedure done on her knee and foot, enabling her to return to activities she thought were permanently beyond her reach.
These success stories aren’t limited to knees and hands. During the conference, physicians discussed applications for shoulder pain, plantar fasciitis, and even potential applications for cervical, lower back, and hip pain.
Implications for PAD Patients
The implications for PAD patients particularly resonated with me. In my work with the Global PAD Association, I’ve seen how walking is essential therapy for these patients to grow collateral blood vessels around blockages. But osteoarthritis pain in the knees can make walking impossible.
By treating knee osteoarthritis through embolization, PAD patients can potentially walk more comfortably, improving both their joint pain and circulation. As one doctor emphasized during the conference, “The number one thing any medical provider can do to help a patient have a longer life is get them to walk more.”
Taking Action
If you have peripheral artery disease and need to walk as medicine but your osteoarthritis is holding you back, call our Global PAD Association Leg Saver Hotline at 1-833-PAD-LEGS. We can help connect you with specialists who understand both conditions and can explore minimally invasive options like embolization that might help you get back on your feet.
As Judy advised during our broadcast: “Tell everybody, especially for us elderly people… I wish everybody knew about it.”
I certainly told my Dad. I mentioned on air that he is scheduled to undergo the procedure for osteoarthritis in his hands in the coming weeks. As with any procedure, there are risks involved. It’s important to talk to your own doctor to determine the best treatment plan for your presentation of symptoms.
This article is based on the October 4, 2025 episode of “The Heart of Innovation” on KDOW, featuring guest co-host Justin Lesh, CEO of Patient Pro Marketing, reporting from the Multidisciplinary Musculoskeletal Care Conference at Vascular Solutions of North Carolina.
