Durolane and Severe Pain: What Users Say

• Ter...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 19, 2021

For Osteoarthritis "This year my insurance changed and decided I no longer needed the Synvisc-One injections that I had been getting for the past 3 years. They would only approve Durolane. I had never tried it and assumed it was an equivalent to the other. Boy, was I wrong!! I wish I had done my research before getting it. I received the injection in my right knee and immediately was overcome by excruciating pain that radiated throughout my whole leg. I was in so much pain and it would NOT stop. My knee instantly swelled and seized up. After an hour of sitting in the Dr.'s office, I had to get my husband to come pick me up from the appointment. I couldn't even get my clothes back on. I could not put weight on that knee for a week. The pain is worse now than before the injection. I do NOT recommend this drug."

• Dee...
• June 6, 2021

For Osteoarthritis "I would not recommend this drug to my worst enemy. I had slight pain and periodically had the hyaluronic doses administered in 3 separate doses. Although I request this again, they said it was better to get the Durolane which is one quick dose. As a result of getting this injection, the pain from it was excruciating. It never left, waking me every night with severe pain. My mobility is worse now. I cannot say anything positive about this drug! I would rate it as a 0 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most effective."

• Dee...
• June 6, 2021

For Osteoarthritis "I would not recommend this drug to my worst enemy. I had slight pain and periodically had the hyaluronic doses administered in 3 separate doses. Although I request this again, they said it was better to get the Durolane which is one quick dose. As a result of getting this injection, the pain from it was excruciating. It never left, waking me every night with severe pain. My mobility is worse now. I cannot say anything positive about this drug! I would rate it as a 0 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most effective."

• oza...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2020

For Osteoarthritis "Supposedly, Durolane is artificial hyaluronic acid used for those of us who are allergic to eggs. Had a shot and could not walk out of the doctor's office. The pain was the worst I have ever had, and I have severe OA in both knees, which in itself is a lot of unending pain. That knee now has a whole lot more excruciating pain. Can't recommend it because I think it harmed my condition."

• InS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 27, 2019

For Osteoarthritis "Me again, it’s been almost 3 weeks and still no change! I filed a complaint with Durolane and the FDA, yet no one reaches out to me. I can barely walk, and I’m in severe pain around the clock from these injections. They have ruined the quality of my life! I was hiking and cycling prior to injections but had knee pain. Now, my legs are so stiff I cannot even bend them enough to do a pedal rotation on my bike! Do not get these horrible injections!"

• MJ ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 26, 2020

For Osteoarthritis "Got my first cortisone injection for bone-on-bone right knee in July. Worked great! Dr. recommended trying Durolane for the next visit, can have pain relief for up to 6 months. I thought prayer was answered until the next day after the injection. Had horrible pain where I didn't have it before. Have had to go back to using crutches and a knee brace to get around. Where did the Durolane go? Dr. says I can have another cortisone, but I'm thinking it won't work this time because pain's location is in the actual joint where Durolane was injected, and there's no inflammation like before. It's now 32 days straight living and suffering with this new pain. Thank you, Durolane, for giving me a new pain and false hope."

• Pat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 26, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "Getting the injections in my knees was the worst decision I have ever made. The shots themselves are the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, and I could barely even walk to the car after my appointment. I could put no weight on my left leg for four days. Two weeks after the injections, my knees have not improved, and my calves are in excruciating pain most of the time, which was not a symptom before the injections. This never should have been approved as a viable option for osteoarthritis. I don’t know how it got past the testing phase! Durolane, in my opinion, should be taken out of use, and we should sue the manufacturer for misrepresentation and pain and suffering."

• Cri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2018

For Osteoarthritis "This is the worst injection on the market. I had the injection in both knees, the right one was okay for a while, but the left one got worse immediately after getting it. I got sick, the pain was extremely unbearable. What upset me more is my doctor never told me that the injection might not work or it might worsen my condition. He said this would make the quality of my life much better. What a lie. When I did see my doctor again, he then said it doesn't work for everyone and didn't want to hear how worse my knees are now. His solution was to have knee replacement. I only had a small problem and was doing fine before I got with this doctor a little over 2 years, now I am crippled and in severe pain daily. Both knees are damaged. I will do research on everything before putting or injecting anything in my body. There are physicians out here only to make a profit and not looking out for the patients' best interest, do your research.... Please!"

• AMC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2021

For Osteoarthritis "I have extremely complex osteoarthritis in my knee. I have arthrogryposis and a rotated inward-oriented knee. My foot and ankle are fused. At 70 years old, my X-ray radiologist reported a completely disintegrated joint. Surgery is very difficult due to my diagnosis. The pain was crazy bad. I researched the scientific literature on various hyaluronic acid brands. Durolane stood out to me because it is a single injection and was reportedly more effective. It also has a lower incidence of infection. I asked my orthopedic surgeon to get some. Both of us were dubious of a positive outcome. After injection, I had quite bad pain for 4 days and had difficulty bending my knee. Now, the morning of the 5th day, I got up almost pain-free. My knee has not felt this good in 5 years. I hope this continues."

• Des...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "I received a shot in each knee because I have bone-on-bone knees. I have been getting Monovisc for years with no problem and was told when I got there we were using Durolane, which had the same components as Monovisc, so I said okay. Well, I could barely walk out of there holding onto my husband. I can’t drive, been in excruciating pain for 5 days now with no relief from icing, Advil, steroids, tramadol, rest, and elevation. Stay far away from this injection. I hope and pray I get relief soon."

• Pat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "Having Durolane injections is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. For four days, I could not even walk, and now my knees are in twice the pain as before the injection four weeks later. Twice a year, I get cortisone injections that give me relief and are not as painful to administer. Durolane was absolute agony getting put into my knees, and I would caution anybody to never get these injections. I believe it should be taken off the market because I’ve only been able to find a handful of reviews where they had a positive outcome."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 22, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "I received one injection in each knee Tuesday. I walked like a penguin for 2 days, then Thursday I began experiencing sharp pains in my left pelvic/inner thigh area. The pain comes back spontaneously and makes me scream and catch my breath. If I press and hold, the pain becomes bearable enough to limp to a chair or to my bed. Eventually, the pain subsides, but spontaneously and unpredictably keeps occurring. I’ve never had this experience with any other medication. My knees are still aching and I’m still propping them up on pillows. 30 minutes ago, my right knee felt like it was buckling."

• Cla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 1, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "I had Durolane injections in both knees, January 4, 2022. I was told this would be much better and last 6-9 months. Two days later, I'm in severe pain, both knees. I'm having chills and both knees are hot to the touch. Walking is almost impossible because of the pain. I called the orthopedic doctor to tell them what is going on with me. They said to give it time. Two weeks later, I saw the primary care doctor. She said I had a severe reaction to the injections. I'm now seeing a pain specialist and having genicular nerve blocks to help control the pain. I've started physical therapy and have a new orthopedic doctor. I found out from him that within the first 4 weeks of the injections, it can be reversed with steroid injections. Too late for me, now waiting for the injections to wear off and hoping permanent damage is not done. Pain is being controlled with pain medication, nerve blocks, and physical therapy. The past 5 months have been a nightmare for me. My whole life has been changed."

• Daw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 21, 2021

For Osteoarthritis "Received Monovisc injections in the past, and they worked well. My insurance company no longer covers it and now only covers Durolane. Had both knees injected 8 weeks ago. Severe pain for 2 days after, and although the severity isn’t as bad, I still have bad knee pain. It essentially has done nothing. Very disappointed."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2023

For Osteoarthritis "Received a cortisone injection that gave me about 8 months of fair relief for moderate to severe knee OA. Trying to delay surgery while I lose weight to ease recovery. The second time, he injected, and my pain became horribly crippling. The doctor was dumbfounded, perhaps you hit a nerve, maybe? I sought a different doctor and found one more personable with less ego. By the time I could get another cortisone injection, I was waiting for the pre-auth for Durolane. His cortisone injection gave me improvement and hope! I wasn't walking with a nasty limp and looked forward to getting active again to lose weight. Then, when I got the Durolane injection, it's been stabbing pain, constant stiffness, swelling, and limping again. It's been a month with no improvement. My knee was better, not great though, those weeks after the cortisone and before the Durolane. I will return at 3 months and 1 day for the cortisone again. Definitely not Durolane again in 6 months. Maybe try Synvisc's version instead since I can't have surgery until I lose more weight."

• Thi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 28, 2023

For Osteoarthritis "Idea: I received Durolane injections in both hips last Thursday. The injections themselves weren't that painful, but the aftereffects have been. I've been practically crippled, cannot walk without severe pain (more so than I had before the injections). It's been 5 days. I'm praying it'll just take time. Also, my insurance company (Sunlife) did not cover this, and the injections were $600 CAD per hip... very expensive :("

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 2, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "I got a Durolane injection in both knees. When the anesthetic wore off, I endured the worst pain, like sharp knives in burning, hot knees. Very sharp pain that the Voltaren didn't help at all. I couldn't walk at all; getting up and down was excruciating. This unbearable pain lasted 2 weeks; it's been a month now, and I am still in pain. I wish I had read these reviews. The only thing left to do is double knee replacement surgery with no painkillers. The third alternative is a permanent wheelchair."

• Bea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 20, 2022

For Osteoarthritis "Please! Has anyone been able to find a solution to the terrible pain this drug causes? I am 9 weeks out-pain is only getting worse-can't walk, can't sleep. My quality of life has totally deteriorated."