When might I need a joint injection?
You may need a joint injection to alleviate pain and improve movement in any joint. Joint pain often occurs due to conditions such as:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Runner’s knee
- Meniscus tear
- Shoulder labrum tear
- Rotator cuff injury and tendinitis
- Tennis and golfer’s elbow
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Injured ligaments
- Damaged cartilage
- Joint dislocation
The Rehab Doctors’ team also specializes in sacroiliac joint injections.
When does the sacroiliac joint need an injection?
The sacroiliac (SI) joint connects each side of your hips to the bottom of your spine, which is called the sacrum. When the SI joint is inflamed, arthritic, or its supporting ligaments are injured, you may feel pain along the joint.
However, SI joint problems commonly cause pain in your lower back, buttocks, hip, and groin. If the inflammation is severe, you may feel the pain down the back of your leg.
Which joints often need a joint injection?
The Rehab Doctors’ team administers joint injections, also called intra-articular injections, to the following to relieve pain:
- Wrists
- Hands
- Elbows
- Shoulders
- Feet
- Ankles
- Knees
- Hips
- Spine
The joints that connect spinal vertebrae are facet joints, so that type of injection is called a facet joint injection.
What medication does a joint injection contain?
Joint injections contain a local anesthetic and a corticosteroid. The anesthetic quickly but temporarily relieves your pain, while corticosteroids reduce inflammation. It takes corticosteroids 2-7 days to start working, but they provide longer-lasting pain relief.
The Rehab Doctors’ team also injects Synvisc®, which contains hyaluronic acid. Your joints naturally produce hyaluronic acid to act as a lubricant and shock absorber. Injecting Synvisc into an arthritic joint helps restore movement and relieve pain.
What should I expect during a joint injection?
The Rehab Doctors’ team performs joint injections using a thin needle and fluoroscopy (real-time X-rays) or ultrasound imaging to guide the needle into a safe and proper position. In some cases, your provider may inject a dye that highlights certain tissues and further ensures they inject the medication at the correct spot.
You’re monitored in the office for up to 30 minutes after your injection. When your provider clears you to go home, they give you discharge instructions that include a pain log.
You use the pain log to record the level of your pain every hour for six hours, and the next morning. This information helps your provider know how well your injection is working.
You may feel immediate pain relief, along with a little numbness in the area. Then your pain returns and may even feel worse before the corticosteroids kick in, but once your inflammation goes down, you can look forward to long-lasting pain relief.
If you have persistent or severe joint pain, call The Rehab Doctors, or use the online booking feature to schedule an appointment today.
