Revive Medical Center uses joint injections with some of our patients to diagnose joint swelling and manage pain. In most cases, injections are an effective tool in the fight against chronic pain. In basic terms, joint injections are precisely what their name says they are: direct injection into the joint. Here’s what joint injections do and how they might help you if you suffer from joint disorders.
Draw Fluid From Joints
Part of joint-injection therapy might be joint aspiration if this is necessary. This is when fluid is drawn from the joint using a needle rather than injecting something into the joint. Joint aspiration is usually performed on joints that are severely swollen. This removes excess fluid from the affected joint or joints, reduces swelling, and helps relieve the pain associated with the swelling.
Test the Fluid
Once the fluid is drawn from the joint or joints, your physician may send it to a laboratory to have tests performed on it. These tests help doctors diagnose why the affected joint(s) are swollen and why they continue to swell even after fluid has been removed. The fluid itself has properties that can help doctors determine if there’s an infection, arthritis, gout, or other joint disorders.
Joint Injections
If the diagnosis suggests joint injections would help relieve discomfort, doctors will then deliver medicine directly to the joint via the joint injection. In most cases, steroids are what is injected into painful and swollen ankles, knees, or wrists. If necessary, the physician will aspirate the joint before injecting the steroid. Generally, cortisone is what is injected directly into the joint(s).
Reasons for Steroid Joint Injections
The number one reason to get a steroid joint injection is speed. By injecting steroids directly into the joint, pain and inflammation is reduced almost immediately. Most patients report some relief within hours. It’s also advantageous to inject the medication directly because it addresses the problem right away. Oral medication must go through your digestive system first.
Few Side Effects
Finally, joint aspiration and injection have few side effects. What it does is relieve pain, swelling, and discomfort. What it doesn’t do is cause additional problems. The risks are low with joint injections, although not absent. Some patients have reported minor bleeding after the procedure or the joint became infected. It’s important to know that this a very rare.
Call Revive Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA, to discuss adding joint injections to your pain management program.
