Lasting knee arthritis relief with GAE. Skip the knee replacement.
When injections or physical therapy stop helping, there's still a next step. Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) is a same-day, nonsurgical procedure that blocks the abnormal blood vessels driving arthritis inflammation — relief at the source, without surgery or a long recovery.
Patients report lasting relief
GAE procedures performed
Average procedure time
Your knee pain has a source, and GAE treats it.
If knee arthritis has you avoiding the stairs, the garden, or your morning walk, there’s a newer option worth knowing about. GAE quiets arthritis pain right at its source, using FDA-cleared technology and no surgery. Empire Vein is the leading GAE provider in the Coachella Valley and Inland Empire.
Genicular
Genicular arteries are the cluster of small arteries that wrap around and supply blood to your knee joint.
Artery
In osteoarthritis, these vessels overgrow and inflame the lining of the joint. That inflammation is a major driver of pain.
Embolization
We gently reduce that abnormal blood flow, calming inflammation right at its source.
Procedure time
~30 min
Start to finish, outpatient
Incision & anesthesia
Local only
Awake, just a pinhole, no cutting
Recovery
Same day
Home that day; light activity in 1–2 days
Relief
2+ years
Eases over weeks, lasting & repeatable
Proven & safe
The #1 fastest-growing alternative to knee replacement.
Most patients haven't heard of GAE yet, but the research runs deep. More than a dozen clinical studies back it up, including randomized controlled trials. Our own team has performed hundreds of these procedures right here in Southern California.
12+
Clinical studies, including randomized controlled trials
Nothing cut
Your natural knee is preserved, not replaced
Next day
Back to daily activities, with minimal downtime
What’s really happening inside your knee
Knee arthritis isn’t only about worn cartilage. There’s a vascular side most people never hear about, and seeing it makes clear why GAE works differently than pills or injections.
See inside a real patient’s knee
These are actual angiograms from a real Empire Vein & Vascular patient, not an illustration. On the left, a dense tangle of overgrown vessels crowds the knee. This is the blood supply feeding the inflammation and pain you just read about.
On the right, after GAE, that excess flow is calmed. Less inflammation means less pain, and your knee itself was never touched.
The key difference: GAE treats the abnormal blood vessels fueling knee pain. Your normal cartilage is left completely intact.
Individual results vary.
An alternative to knee replacement
If you’ve been told surgery is your only option, here’s what makes GAE different.
Your procedure, start to finish
Three steps, one outpatient visit, about 30 minutes start to finish, and home the same day.
A tiny pinhole
Your physician numbs a small area of your upper thigh, then guides a thin, flexible catheter into the artery through a puncture no bigger than a pinhole. No incision, no stitches.
Find the source
Using live X-ray imaging, your physician steers the catheter to the small genicular arteries around your knee. These are the overactive vessels feeding the inflammation.
Calm the inflammation
Through the catheter, your physician releases Embosphere® Microspheres. These tiny gel spheres slow the excess blood flow driving the inflammation, affecting only the overactive vessels. Your knee’s normal circulation keeps working. Most people feel pain easing over the following few weeks.
Embosphere® Microspheres
GAE works using Embosphere® Microspheres: soft gel spheres. Released through the catheter, they settle into the abnormal arteries feeding your knee's inflammation and gently shut them down. Your normal arteries stay intact. Doctors have trusted these same microspheres for decades to treat uterine fibroids, tumors, and internal bleeding.
How does GAE compare?
See how GAE compares to injections and knee replacement on relief, recovery, and risk.
Is GAE right for you?
GAE isn’t for everyone, but for the right candidate, it can mean lasting relief without surgery. Here’s who tends to benefit, and what they often feel afterward.
You may be a good fit if…
What patients often notice after
In our surgeon’s words
Meet the specialist behind your GAE
“For the right patient, GAE can mean years of relief without ever stepping into an operating room. Helping people get back to the things they’d given up on, that’s the part of this work I love most.”
Free patient guide
Skip the Scalpel
Our plain-language guide to easing knee arthritis pain without surgery: what GAE is, who makes a good candidate, what recovery really looks like, and the questions worth asking your doctor.
Download the guideStill have questions?
GAE stands for Genicular Artery Embolization. It’s a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that relieves knee osteoarthritis pain by reducing the abnormal blood flow that fuels inflammation in the joint. No surgery, no implant, no hospital stay.
Through a tiny puncture near the groin, a thin catheter is guided to the arteries supplying your knee. Tiny medical-grade beads are placed to gently block the abnormal blood flow, easing swelling and reducing pain at its source.
No. That’s one of its biggest advantages. GAE preserves your natural knee. Nothing is cut, removed, or replaced. It simply calms the inflammation, so your own joint stays intact.
Many patients experience significant relief that lasts two years or longer. Because GAE is non-destructive, it can be repeated if symptoms return and still leaves every other treatment option open to you.
Most patients return to light daily activities within a day or two. The procedure itself takes about 30 minutes and you go home the same day. Relief typically continues to improve over the following weeks.
Coverage is expanding as GAE becomes more established, and many plans, including Medicare, IEHP, and most PPOs, cover it for the right candidate. Our team verifies your benefits before anything is scheduled, so you know where you stand up front.
Get back on your feet, without surgery.
Find out if GAE is right for your knee pain in a single consultation.