Are Steroid Injections Suitable For Joint Pain?

Steroid Injections for Joints
Steroid injections for joints are special injections that are used to treat swollen and painful joints after an injury or as a pain management module in arthritis. Steroid injections are called hydrocortisone injections and are a type of corticosteroid.

Who Needs Steroid Injections for Joints?
Many people suffer from severe joint pain; this is because they have experienced damage to their joints that cannot heal naturally. Usually, a joint steroid injection is prescribed by our pain management specialist if the patient has not responded to conservative treatments like oral anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy or rest.

The symptoms associated with joint pain include:

• Unable to continue daily tasks because of pain.
• Experience a limited range of motion due to still and swollen joints.
• Bursitis.
• Back pain.
• Gout.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Reactive arthritis.
• Psoriatic arthritis.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Tendonitis.

 

If you are suffering from severe and debilitating joint pain, you can be a good candidate to receive steroid injections for joints and start living pain-free.

How Are Steroid Injections Performed?
Steroid injection for joints is usually performed as an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the very day of the procedure; however, you should make arrangements for someone to drive you back home after the procedure. The procedure itself takes around 15-45 minutes, followed by a recovery period.

• Step 1 Preparation:

You will be asked to lay down on an X-ray table. With the help of local anesthetic, the treatment area is numbed to ensure minimal discomfort throughout the procedure. You will be awake during the whole procedure to provide valuable feedback to your specialist. Only a low dose sedative like Versed or Valium may be given during the procedure.

• Step 2 Insertion of Needle:

Your specialist will insert the needle inside your body with the help of a special fluoroscope that guides the specialist to locate the exact area responsible for pain. Fluoroscopy enables the specialist to watch the needle in real-time on a special monitor, which ensures that the needle is going in the right direction and reaches the desired destination. There may be some discomfort during this step, but patients usually feel pressure than pain.

• Step 3 Injection of Medication:

After the needle has been correctly positioned, and your specialist is confident on that, the corticosteroid and the anesthetic medications are gently injected into the joint capsule. Finally, the needle is removed from the body. One or several joints may be injected as it depends on the location of the pain.

After the treatment, most patients are able to start walking around, after a short time of being monitored, you can usually leave the center and have someone drive you home.

Usually, patients resume full activities the very next day; there may be some soreness around the injection site that can easily be managed by using some ice and taking a mild analgesic.

Call us now to schedule an appointment for the most effective steroid injection for joints in NJ today.