Jeff Nicolay

Riverside County

Toni McAllister

San Diego Metropolitan Area

Palm Desert

California

indio-cathedral city-palm springs

Palm Springs

Banning-Beaumont

Temecula

Murrieta

San Bernardino County

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Redlands-Loma Linda

Lake Elsinore-Wildomar

San Diego County

Ramona

Escondido

Poway

Kristina Houck

Oceanside-Camp Pendleton

Regional Access Project Foundation

Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Learn how you can transform the life of a Coachella Valley youth in foster care as a <a href="https://about:blank" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer</a>.
CASAs volunteers are trained by <a href="https://about:blank" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Voices for Children</a> and matched with a child or sibling group in foster care. They get to know the child’s situation, communicate with professionals on the case, and ensure the child’s needs are being met. Right now, 24 local children&nbsp;are&nbsp;waiting for a CASA of their own, so the need is real.
Voices for Children invites you to attend an in-person information session on Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Regional Access Project (RAP) Foundation located at 41-550 Eclectic St. in Palm Desert. 
During the session, you will:
●Learn about the role of a CASA, the training and support provided, and the difference you can make in a child’s life.
●Meet the Voices for Children team, hear directly from a CASA volunteer, and discover how your time and compassion can help a local child feel seen, supported, and heard.
●Learn about the application process and the next steps to becoming a CASA volunteer.
Join us to learn how, with only 10 hours a month, you can help a child thrive and put them on a path toward a successful future. 
<a href="https://www.speakupnow.org/volunteer/volunteer-information-session/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Register here to reserve your spot!</a>
For more information, please email: <a href="https://rcvolunteer@speakupnow.org" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">rcvolunteer@speakupnow.org</a>

Local Event: Make a Difference in the Life of a Child Living in Foster Care 

Make a Difference in the Life of a Child Living...

Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Learn how you can transform the life of a Coachella Valley youth in foster care as a...

Make a Difference in the Life of a Child Living in Foster Care 

Knee arthritis pain can slowly shrink your world. Stairs become something to avoid. A trip through the airport feels daunting. Golf, pickleball, walking the dog or simply getting out of a chair can become calculated decisions based on how much your knee is going to hurt.
For many seniors suffering from osteoarthritis, the treatment path is familiar. Pain medications. Physical therapy. Steroid injections. Then, eventually, a conversation about knee replacement.
But there is another option that most patients have still never heard of.
<a href="https://healthyveins.empirevein.com/gae/?utm_source=Patch_CV_&amp;utm_medium=PR_article&amp;utm_campaign=GAE_EN%20https://healthyveins.empirevein.com/es/gae/?utm_source=Patch_CV_&amp;utm_medium=Pr_article&amp;utm_campaign=GAE_span" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Genicular artery embolization, or GAE</a>, is a minimally invasive treatment for knee osteoarthritis designed for patients who want to reduce their pain and preserve their natural knee.
Arthritis is more than worn cartilage. An arthritic knee develops inflammation, and that inflammation can stimulate the growth of abnormal tiny blood vessels around the joint. Those vessels can help perpetuate inflammation and pain.
GAE targets those abnormal blood vessels.
Using X ray guidance, a physician guides a tiny catheter through an artery to the blood vessels surrounding the knee. Microscopic particles are then delivered to reduce blood flow to the abnormal vessels driving inflammation. There is no incision in the knee, nothing is implanted and there is no hospital stay. The procedure takes about an hour and patients go home the same day.<figure class="float-right"><a href="https://healthyveins.empirevein.com/gae/?utm_source=Patch_CV_&amp;utm_medium=PR_article&amp;utm_campaign=GAE_EN" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow"><img src="https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/27251524/20260916/054620/oa-of-the-knee-cathers-in-leg-releaseing-tiny-particles___16174619576.jpg?width=600&amp;width=600" id="OA of the knee, cathers in leg, releaseing tiny particles.png" data-image="OA of the knee, cathers in leg, releaseing tiny particles.png" alt="osteoarthritis of the knee and GAE treatment" srcset="https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/27251524/20260916/054620/oa-of-the-knee-cathers-in-leg-releaseing-tiny-particles___16174619576.jpg?width=600&amp;amp;width=320 320w, https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/27251524/20260916/054620/oa-of-the-knee-cathers-in-leg-releaseing-tiny-particles___16174619576.jpg?width=600&amp;amp;width=375 375w, https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/27251524/20260916/054620/oa-of-the-knee-cathers-in-leg-releaseing-tiny-particles___16174619576.jpg?width=600&amp;amp;width=420 420w, https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/27251524/20260916/054620/oa-of-the-knee-cathers-in-leg-releaseing-tiny-particles___16174619576.jpg?width=600&amp;amp;width=720 720w, https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/27251524/20260916/054620/oa-of-the-knee-cathers-in-leg-releaseing-tiny-particles___16174619576.jpg?width=600&amp;amp;width=600 600w" sizes="(max-width: 325px) 320px, (max-width: 375px) 375px, (max-width: 420px) 420px, (max-width: 768px) 720px, 600px"></a><figcaption>GAE relieves knee pain caused by osteoarthritis.</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://empirevein.com/en/our-team/dr-pushpinder-sivia/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Pushpinder Sivia</a>, a board certified vascular surgeon at Empire Vein and Vascular Specialists in the Coachella Valley, has performed more than 1,000 GAE procedures.
&ldquo;I tell patients to think of arthritis like a fire inside the knee,&rdquo; says Dr. Sivia. &ldquo;Pain medication can turn down the smoke alarm. A steroid injection can temporarily quiet the fire. GAE is different because we are targeting one of the things helping feed that fire. We are treating a driver of the pain without removing or replacing the knee.&rdquo;
That distinction is important. Steroid injections can provide temporary relief, but repeated injections are not benign. A randomized study published in JAMA found that patients receiving steroid injections every three months for two years experienced greater cartilage loss than patients receiving saline injections, without better long term pain relief.
GAE has now been studied for more than a decade. The first clinical study for knee osteoarthritis was published in 2015. A 2026 meta analysis reviewed 45 studies involving more than 2,200 patients. Published research has shown substantial improvements in pain and function. In one of the foundational studies, more than 80 percent of patients achieved at least a 50 percent reduction in knee pain at six months.
The treatment has also moved well beyond the experimental fringe. In 2026, the Society of Interventional Radiology stated that GAE should be offered to appropriately selected patients who have failed conservative treatment and want to delay or avoid knee replacement.
For many patients, GAE is covered through Medicare and other insurance plans.
For Sarah G., the benefit was not measured in medical terminology. It was measured in her life. &ldquo;I no longer dread stairs. I can travel again. What I still cannot believe is that neither I nor my doctor had heard of GAE.&rdquo;
The biggest challenge surrounding GAE today is awareness. Many patients do not know the treatment exists. Many physicians still do not discuss it. As a result, some patients reach the point of considering knee replacement without ever hearing about a less invasive option that might allow them to keep their natural knee.
GAE is not right for everyone, and knee replacement remains an excellent operation for the right patient. But replacing a joint is an irreversible decision. Knowing every reasonable option before making that decision matters.
&ldquo;Too many patients believe they have only two choices: live with the pain or replace the knee,&rdquo; says Dr. Sivia. &ldquo;That is no longer true.&rdquo;
If knee arthritis pain is pushing you toward knee replacement, there is one question worth asking before you schedule surgery:
Have I really run out of options, or have I simply not heard about all of them yet? 
Empire Vein &amp; Vascular Specialists serves patients throughout Southern California with locations in La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, Riverside, Ontario and Victorville. 
The practice specializes in minimally invasive treatments for knee pain, varicose veins, and circulation-related conditions, offering personalized care focused on long-term mobility and quality of life.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit <a href="https://healthyveins.empirevein.com/gae/?utm_source=Patch_CV_&amp;utm_medium=PR_article&amp;utm_campaign=GAE_EN%20https://healthyveins.empirevein.com/es/gae/?utm_source=Patch_CV_&amp;utm_medium=Pr_article&amp;utm_campaign=GAE_span" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">EmpireVein.com</a> or call 1-800-KNEE-CARE.
<a href="https://healthyveins.empirevein.com/es/gae/?utm_source=Patch_CV_&amp;utm_medium=Pr_article&amp;utm_campaign=GAE_spanish" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Se habla espa&ntilde;ol.</a>

Riverside

Rancho Mirage

The Knee Treatment Hiding in Plain Sight

Knee arthritis pain can slowly shrink your world. Stairs become something to avoid. A trip through the airport feels daunting. Golf, pickleball,...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Jeff Nicolay, Neighbor

Posting Activity

Make a Difference in the Life of a Child Living in Foster Care

The Knee Treatment Hiding in Plain Sight