The knee pain gets bad enough that you finally go to the doctor. They confirm the arthritis and recommend a cortisone injection. It works. The pain settles. You feel better.

And then it comes back.

So you get another injection. The relief lasts a little less time than the first one did. Then a third. And by now you are wondering — is this actually fixing anything? Or am I just on a treadmill that is slowly speeding up?

In Episode 13 of The Decompression Authority Podcast, Dr. Chris Cameron explains exactly what is happening — why cortisone injections work in the short term, why they fall short in the long term, and what a structural alternative looks like that addresses the cause rather than turning down the volume on the symptom.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

→ Why cortisone injections are not a bad treatment — and when they genuinely have a role
→ What cortisone actually does inside the knee — suppressing cytokines, reducing synovial inflammation, and reducing pain
→ The fire alarm analogy — why cortisone turns down the noise without putting out the fire
→ The landmark 2017 JAMA randomised controlled trial: the cortisone group had significantly greater cartilage loss on MRI than the placebo group — with no better pain outcomes — over two years of regular injections
→ The 2020 British Journal of Sports Medicine systematic review: beyond six to eight weeks the benefit diminishes and there is evidence of accelerated structural deterioration with repeated injections
→ How cortisone suppresses chondrocytes — the very cells responsible for producing and maintaining cartilage
→ How cortisone reduces hyaluronic acid — the joint's natural lubricant — in the synovial fluid
→ The critical difference between a single cortisone injection in context and repeated injections as an ongoing management strategy
→ How the Walk Strong Non-Surgical Knee Pain Relief Program addresses the structural cause that cortisone cannot
→ How knee decompression, Class IV laser therapy, shockwave therapy, and targeted rehabilitation each work through a different mechanism to interrupt the degenerative cycle
→ The 2014 Lasers in Medical Science study: low-level laser therapy significantly reduced pain and improved function through a mechanism that supports — rather than undermines — joint tissue
→ Why building quadricep and gluteal strength is fundamental — not optional — in a comprehensive knee program

Conditions Discussed in This Episode:
Knee osteoarthritis | Articular cartilage loss | Chondrocyte suppression | Synovial inflammation | Cytokine activity | Knee joint degeneration | Hyaluronic acid deficiency

Treatments Discussed in This Episode:
Cortisone injections | Corticosteroid injections | Knee decompression therapy | Class IV laser therapy | Shockwave therapy | Quadricep and gluteal rehabilitation | Walk Strong Non-Surgical Knee Pain Relief Program

Clinical References Cited:
McAlindon, T.E. et al. (2017). Effect of intra-articular triamcinolone vs saline on knee cartilage volume and pain. JAMA, 317(19), 1967–1975.
Derry, S. et al. (2020). Corticosteroid injections for knee osteoarthritis: systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(9), 506–512.
Huang, Z. et al. (2014). The effectiveness of low-level laser therapy for knee osteoarthritis. Lasers in Medical Science, 30(4), 1247–1253.
Segal, N.A. et al. (2010). Effect of quadriceps strength on knee joint loading. Arthritis Care and Research, 62(12), 1706–1714.

Missed Episodes 11 or 12?
Episode 11 introduces knee decompression therapy and who it is for. Episode 12 explains the biology of knee osteoarthritis and the cytokine inflammatory cycle. Both lay the foundation for everything discussed today.

About Dr. Chris Cameron:
Dr. Chris Cameron is a chiropractor and non-surgical decompression specialist at Cameron Family Chiropractic in Lucan, Ontario. He specializes in spinal decompression therapy, knee decompression therapy, and conservative care for patients with disc injuries, sciatica, knee osteoarthritis, and chronic back and joint pain.

Book a Consultation:
Cameron Family Chiropractic — Lucan, Ontario
cameronchiro.com
Serving Lucan, London, and surrounding Ontario communities.

Subscribe and Follow:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | All major podcast platforms

If you have been managing knee pain with cortisone injections and felt that cycle of relief and return — please share this episode. Someone in your life needs to hear this before their next injection.

Educate. Empower. Relieve. Restore.

You knew something was wrong. You could feel it changing.

First it was a little stiffness in the morning. Then the sound — that grinding, that clicking you could not ignore anymore. Then the swelling started showing up after long days on your feet. And then your knee started predicting the weather better than your phone could.

In Episode 12 of The Decompression Authority Podcast, Dr. Chris Cameron goes inside the biology of knee osteoarthritis — explaining exactly what is happening structurally and why the condition progresses the way it does. Because when you understand the mechanism, you understand why the right treatment works.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

→ The non-stick pan analogy — why cartilage breakdown accelerates once it starts
→ How healthy cartilage is 70 to 80 percent water — and what happens as it dehydrates
→ Why small cracks and fissures develop, cartilage pieces break off, and smooth surfaces become rough and irregular
→ Why the immune response makes osteoarthritis worse — the cytokine cycle that actively prevents the joint from repairing itself
→ The Journal of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage finding: interleukin-1 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha suppress cartilage cells from producing new collagen and proteoglycans
→ Why arthritis is not linear — the episodic acceleration pattern and what triggers it
→ The Arthritis and Rheumatology longitudinal study: the identifiable risk factors that drive the most rapid cartilage loss
→ Which of those risk factors are modifiable — and why that changes everything about treatment
→ Why osteoarthritis is a biological and inflammatory process — not just mechanical wear and tear
→ How the Walk Strong Non-Surgical Knee Pain Relief Program at Cameron Family Chiropractic interrupts the degenerative cycle at a structural level
→ How knee decompression, Class IV laser therapy, shockwave therapy, and targeted rehabilitation each address a different mechanism simultaneously
→ The 2014 Arthritis Care and Research finding: greater quadricep and gluteal strength independently associated with reduced cartilage loss over time

Conditions Discussed in This Episode:
Knee osteoarthritis | Articular cartilage degeneration | Synovial inflammation | Cytokine activity | Cartilage loss | Knee joint degeneration | Progressive joint deterioration

Treatments Discussed in This Episode:
Knee decompression therapy | Class IV laser therapy | Shockwave therapy | Quadricep and gluteal rehabilitation | Walk Strong Non-Surgical Knee Pain Relief Program

Clinical References Cited:
Goldring, S.R. & Goldring, M.B. (2004). Role of cytokines in cartilage matrix degeneration. Journal of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.
Eckstein, F. et al. (2011). Rate of cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatology, 63(8), 2284–2292.
Segal, N.A. et al. (2014). Effect of quadriceps strength on cartilage loss. Arthritis Care and Research, 62(12), 1706–1714.
van der Woude, J.A. et al. (2017). Knee joint distraction results in cartilage thickness increase. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 76(2), 292–299.

Missed Episode 11?
Go back and start there — Dr. Cameron introduces knee decompression therapy, how it works mechanically, and who the ideal candidates are. It lays the foundation for everything discussed this season.

About Dr. Chris Cameron:
Dr. Chris Cameron is a chiropractor and non-surgical decompression specialist at Cameron Family Chiropractic in Lucan, Ontario. He specializes in spinal decompression therapy, knee decompression therapy, and conservative care for patients with disc injuries, sciatica, knee osteoarthritis, and chronic back and joint pain.

Book a Consultation:
Cameron Family Chiropractic — Lucan, Ontario
cameronchiro.com
Serving Lucan, London, and surrounding Ontario communities.

Subscribe and Follow:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | All major podcast platforms

If today's episode gave you something useful — please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It takes 30 seconds and helps more people find this information when they need it most.

Educate. Empower. Relieve. Restore.

You wake up in the morning and before your feet even hit the floor — you feel it. The stiffness. The grinding. The ache that has become so familiar you have almost stopped noticing it.

Except you have not stopped noticing it.

It is there on the stairs. It is there when you try to keep up with your grandkids. It is the reason you had to stop golfing, stop hiking, stop doing the things that used to be yours. And someone along the way told you: bone on bone, nothing left to do, start thinking about a knee replacement.

Season 2 of The Decompression Authority Podcast is for you.

In Episode 11, Dr. Chris Cameron opens Season 2 with the most foundational question in knee care: what is knee decompression therapy — and who is it actually for?

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

→ What knee decompression therapy is — and how it creates a controlled separation between joint surfaces to restore the knee's natural healing environment
→ Why articular cartilage cannot heal the way skin heals — and what it actually depends on to survive
→ The sponge under the heavy book — the analogy that makes the mechanism click immediately
→ Why 300 million people worldwide are living with knee osteoarthritis and why the numbers are rising (The Lancet, 2019)
→ The conventional treatment path — lifestyle modifications, NSAIDs, cortisone injections, knee replacement — and where it falls short
→ Why knee replacement has a lifespan of only 15 to 20 years — and what that means for patients in their 50s and 60s
→ The 2020 Journal of Cartilage systematic review: knee joint distraction is a viable joint-preserving treatment with a favourable safety profile
→ The landmark Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases study: measurable cartilage thickness increases on MRI in patients who were already candidates for total knee replacement
→ The three patient groups who respond best to knee decompression therapy
→ Who is NOT a good candidate — and why a proper clinical assessment is always the first step
→ The Walk Strong Non-Surgical Knee Protocol at Cameron Family Chiropractic — combining knee decompression with shockwave therapy, Class IV laser therapy, gait analysis, and targeted rehabilitation

Conditions Discussed in This Episode:
Knee osteoarthritis | Bone-on-bone knee pain | Articular cartilage breakdown | Knee joint degeneration | Knee replacement candidacy | Post-surgical knee dysfunction

Treatments Discussed in This Episode:
Knee decompression therapy | Knee joint distraction | Shockwave therapy | Class IV laser therapy | Gait analysis | Gluteal and knee stabilization rehabilitation | Walk Strong Non-Surgical Knee Protocol

Clinical References Cited:
Hunter, D.J. & Bierma-Zeinstra, S. (2019). Osteoarthritis. The Lancet, 393(10182), 1745–1759.
Jansen, M. et al. (2020). Knee joint distraction for osteoarthritis: systematic review. Cartilage, 11(3), 278–288.
van der Woude, J.A. et al. (2017). Knee joint distraction results in cartilage thickness increase. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 76(2), 292–299.

New to the Show? Start Here:
Season 1 of The Decompression Authority Podcast covers spinal decompression, herniated discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, and why surgery and medication often fall short. Search The Decompression Authority Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to start from Episode 1.

About Dr. Chris Cameron:
Dr. Chris Cameron is a chiropractor and non-surgical decompression specialist at Cameron Family Chiropractic in Lucan, Ontario. He specializes in spinal decompression therapy, knee decompression therapy, and conservative care for patients with disc injuries, sciatica, knee osteoarthritis, and chronic back and joint pain.

Book a Consultation:
Cameron Family Chiropractic — Lucan, Ontario
cameronchiro.com
Serving Lucan, London, and surrounding Ontario communities.

Subscribe and Follow:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | All major podcast platforms

If today's episode gave you something useful — please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It takes 30 seconds and it puts this information in front of someone who might need it.

Educate. Empower. Relieve. Restore.