Joint Injections

What causes joint pain?

Your joints include a combination of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, and other tissues. A problem with any of these components can lead to significant joint pain. 

Some joint pain is brought on by a sudden injury. Something as traumatic as a car accident or as simple as a misstep off a curb can lead to joint pain. 

In other cases, degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis can cause serious joint pain. When the cartilage that cushions your joints wears away or significant inflammation develops, aching joints can be impossible to ignore. 

Additional causes of joint pain include:

• Degenerative Osteoarthritis
• Overuse 
• Sports related Injuries
• Rheumatoid/Autoimmune conditions
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Work Related Injuries
• Trauma

These are just a few of the issues that can cause joint pain. 

How can joint injections help diagnose joint pain?

Joint injections introduce a combination of an anti-inflammatory steroid and a numbing medication into the affected joint. The steroid medication reduces inflammation, taking pressure off your nerves, while the anesthetic numbing agent delivers immediate pain relief. 

The needle can also be used to draw a small amount of fluid from the joint. Analyzing this fluid can help determine the source of your pain. This is especially effective in discerning whether the pain is due to a form of arthritis or an infection, two issues that have different treatment paths. 

Why have a joint injection to treat pain when the relief is only temporary?

A joint injection can relieve pain for as long as several months or longer depending on the severity of your condition. It’s important to understand that joint injections are non-surgical treatments that can target where inflammation is present within the joint, but are not anatomically altering the joint.

This pain relief from an injection can make you more comfortable as your body moves through the healing process. It can also provide enough relief to allow you to get through physical therapy, which can strengthen and support your joint. 

Joint injections are one of the many treatment options for severe or chronic joint pain. If you’d like to explore treatments for joint pain, call SamWell Institute for Pain Management, or book an appointment online today.