Joint Injections
Joint Injections
A joint injection is a non-surgical procedure to alleviate or manage joint pain caused by conditions such as arthritis. One of our providers will inject a solution into the damaged joint to help decrease pain and inflammation. Bear in mind that this isn’t a permanent solution to joint pain. However, it does provide long-lasting pain relief for months.
Joint injections can be applied to various joints, including hips, knees, shoulders, and wrists. They effectively treat pain caused by conditions like bursitis, gout, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and tendonitis.
The procedure is only 20 minutes, followed by a recovery period. Your provider might use fluoroscopy to guide the needle to a specific location that ensures optimal pain relief.
You should feel immediate relief once the injection is released into your damaged joint. If you experience swelling and soreness later in the day, don’t worry. These are common side effects of the injection and have no cause for alarm. Within a few days of the treatment, you’ll start to see much better results. Talk to our experts at Square One Health about Joint Injections and whether they’re the best way to treat your condition.
Types of Joint Injections
Platelet Rich Plasma
PRP or Platelet-rich-plasma injections use the patient’s blood to stimulate and encourage the body’s natural healing process. This treatment provides pain relief to the cartilage and tissues within your joints. It is commonly used to treat osteoarthritis joint pain and is more effective than anti-inflammatory medications or cortisone.
Viscosupplementation or HA Injections
Viscosupplementation is the most viable treatment option in scenarios where corticosteroid injections and other nonsurgical pain-relief alternatives were ineffective. This procedure is typically used to relieve pain in your knee joints.
A gel-like fluid called hyaluronic acid is injected into the knee joint. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in the synovial fluid that surrounds joints. It acts as a lubricant to enable your bones to move better. It also serves as a shock absorber for joint loads.
Many patients with osteoarthritis have a lower-than-normal concentration of hyaluronic acid in their joints. By injecting additional hyaluronic acid into the knee joint, healthcare professionals hope to create more lubrication in the joint to help it function properly.
If you aren’t exhibiting any obvious signs of inflammation, your doctor might recommend HA injections before other treatment options. For people with diabetes, HA injections might be a better option as corticosteroids can raise your blood sugar levels.
Cellular Products
Cellular Products injections are used in a specialized treatment approach to relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis in the knees, hips, and shoulders. As a result of aging and other medical injuries, your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage can degenerate.
These injections help your body repair itself without the use of drugs or invasive surgery. They can help reduce pain and inflammation and also help your body function in the way it’s meant to function. Healthcare providers administer this injection
using ultrasound guidance. The imaging ensures that the injection is released at a specific spot to provide maximum pain relief.
If you’re unsure about which joint injection would be most beneficial for your condition, schedule an appointment with us at Square One Health. Our team of healthcare providers will help you get back to pain-free living without the use of drugs or invasive surgeries.
Difference Between Trigger Point and Joint Injections
Both trigger point injections and joint injections are non-surgical and provide long-term pain relief to patients. However, there are a few differences between them.
While trigger point injections block muscle spasms and break the pain cycle, joint injections deliver anti-inflammatory medication into the damaged joint to reduce inflammation and pain.
You need to consider a trigger point injection when your muscles are constantly spasming or chronically tense. These muscles can grow inflamed and irritated and lead to more spasms. A trigger point injection temporarily blocks the muscle’s ability to contract and helps it relax. Conversely, joint injections are designed to block the pain signals received by a joint to provide long-term pain relief.
Our healthcare experts at Square One Health can help you figure out which treatment will benefit your condition. Book a consultation with them today!