Painful joints are surprisingly common in people across all ages. There can be a variety of reasons why a patient may be experiencing pain in their joints, but alleviating the pain and improving the fluidity of movement is essential enjoying a fulfilling life.
Injections are one of the most common treatments for joint pain, and will help to reduce inflammation and swelling and allow the joint to move more freely.
What are joint injections?
Joint injections allow medical practitioners to deliver medications directly to the source of your pain, meaning that they can start to take effect much more quickly.
Joint injections are rarely a one-off, and instead part of a longer treatment plan to help you manage your discomfort, and if appropriate treat some of the symptoms of your underlying condition.
The medication that is injected is usually a form of steroid known as cortisone. Steroid injections work by decreasing inflammation in the joint and reducing the activity of the immune system.
What conditions are joint injections used to treat?
Joint injections are used to treat a wide range of conditions. Joint pain that progressively gets worse that is found in the older generation is most commonly attributed to osteoarthritis.
Other possible causes of joint pain include:
• Inflammation of the joint lining as a result of injury
• Damage to cartilage at the back of the kneecap
• Bleeding into the joint space
• Gout
• Fracture
• Other types of arthritis including psoriatic, reactive and rheumatic
• Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
• Infection
• Hemophilia
• Immune conditions such as Lupus
• Cancer
Diagnosing the cause of your joint pain is essential to ensure that you get the correct treatment for your condition.
How do joint injections help?
Joint injections are beneficial primarily because they help to reduce inflammation. When this happens, pain and swelling in the area reduces, which allows blood to flow more freely through the location and promote natural healing.
Less swelling also alleviates pain and gives the joint a much larger range of movement.
How often will I need to have joint injections?
Every patient that visits us has unique medical needs. As such, no two treatment plans are the same and instead, we create each patient a specific schedule of injections that will give them the best possible outcome from their joint injections.
Patients who suffer from long-term, chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, may find that they require an extensive plan of joint injections.
Alternatively, they may opt to have treatment until their symptoms improve, and then book in for another course of injections, when their pain and limited movement returns.
What happens after my joint injection?
After your joint injection, you will be asked to wait in our offices for around 30 minutes just for observation. This way we can be certain that you haven’t experienced any side effects from the treatment.
Some light swelling and tenderness around the injection site is completely normal, and should subside within 48 hours.
We may also give you some stretching activities to perform in the days after your procedure, which will help your muscle to recover by increasing blood flow to the area. You should be able to get back to your usual daily activities within 72 hours of your treatment, but always ensure you follow the specific aftercare advice given to you by your practitioner, and ask any questions you may have.
Our reassuring, experienced team are delighted to be able to provide comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to exemplary quality chiropractic care for patients in and around Scottsdale, AZ.
If you would like to find out more about joint injections, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our friendly, knowledgeable doctors, please do not hesitate to make an appointment at our offices.
