What are Joint Injections?
Joint injections are an in-office procedure that injects a mixture of anesthetic and steroid medication into a joint causing irritation or pain. Joint injections can be applied to any joints including shoulder, knees, hips, shoulders, and wrists.
What Do Joint Injections Treat?
Joint pain can be caused by a number of conditions including:
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is known as the “wear and tear” arthritis. Patients with osteoarthritis will have the cartilage within their joint begin to break down, and bone will grind or break down, causing pain, stiffness, and swelling.
Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that causes your immune system to attack healthy cells in the body, causing pain and inflammation in the affected body parts. Rheumatoid arthritis most commonly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once, causing inflammation and pain.
Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis, most often in the big toe joint, that is known to be very painful. Gout will occasionally have flares, where symptoms get worse, and have times where there are no symptoms, known as remission.
Joint sprains, the overstretching and tearing of ligaments, the bands of tissue that connect bones to a join. Joint sprains are most common in the ankle, but can occur at any joint.
Joint strains, the overstretching and tearing of muscles or tendons, the dense fibrous cords of tissue that connect bones to muscle.
How do Joint Injections Work?
The physician will use local anesthesia is used to numb the treatment area. With the aid of imaging technology, the physician will insert a needle filled with anesthetic and steroid medication, directly into the inflamed joint.
What are the Risks?
Joint Injections are extremely low risk, with the only major risk being infection, which is extremely rare with injections. Due to the minimal risks, steroid joint injections are a fantastic nonsurgical treatment option for patients suffering from joint pain.
Benefits of Joint Injections
Many patients will experience relief instantly, with pain and inflammation relief lasting up to 6 months. For certain injuries, repeat injections will not be necessary, as they will fully heal during this time, and will be permanently mitigated.