Treating Arthritis With Embolization From Your Shoulders To Your Feet

Podcasts > The Heart of Innovation with Kym McNicholas

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Saturday, August 29, 2026

New minimally invasive treatments for arthritis and chronic joint pain are giving some patients options beyond medications, injections and more invasive surgery. Vascular surgeon Dr. Daniel Nathanson explains Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE), MSK embolization and how image-guided vascular techniques are being used to target inflammation and pain.

Dr. John Phillips and I welcome Dr. Daniel Nathanson of the San Francisco Vein & Vascular Institute in San Francisco, California, for a fascinating look at how tools traditionally associated with vascular intervention are expanding into the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.

Dr. Nathanson is a board-certified vascular and endovascular surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive, image-guided treatments. His work includes Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) for knee osteoarthritis as well as musculoskeletal or MSK embolization for chronic pain involving areas such as the shoulder, hip and other joints.

So how does embolization help arthritis pain?

Rather than replacing a joint, these procedures use a tiny catheter to reach abnormal blood vessels associated with inflammation. The goal is to reduce that inflammatory blood flow and, in appropriately selected patients, reduce pain and improve function. For knee osteoarthritis, GAE is being explored as a minimally invasive option for patients who continue to have pain despite conservative treatment and are looking for alternatives to knee replacement.

We also explore how this concept is moving beyond the knee. Dr. Nathanson discusses emerging applications of MSK embolization for chronic joint and tendon pain involving the shoulder, hand and wrist, hip, knee, Achilles tendon, plantar fascia and more.

If you are dealing with osteoarthritis, chronic knee pain or persistent joint pain, this conversation will help you understand where these newer minimally invasive treatments may fit, who may be a candidate, and why vascular specialists are becoming part of a rapidly evolving area of arthritis care.

Learn more about Dr. Daniel Nathanson and San Francisco Vein & Vascular Institute: San Francisco, California Search: San Francisco Vein & Vascular Institute / Dr. Daniel Nathanson

Need help with Peripheral Artery Disease or another opinion before an amputation? Call the Global PAD Association Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS

Find PAD clinical trials and research opportunities: PADTrials.org

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