Joint Injections for Pain Relief

Painful joints are a common long-term health problem for many, especially older people. At Herald Medical PLLC in San Antonio, Texas, Matthew Taon, MD, RPVI, WCC, CIIP, and his team perform joint injections to relieve pain. Their expertise in image-guided injections ensures the medication gets where you need it most. Call Herald Medical PLLC to inquire about joint injections for pain relief or arrange a consultation using the online booking form today.

Why would I need joint injections for pain relief?

Joint pain is one of the most widespread types of musculoskeletal conditions. In many cases, pain improves when you follow a program of medication, physical therapy, rest, and other conservative treatments.

Joint injections are the next stage in a treatment program for patients who have joint pain that isn’t responding to the initial therapies. Some joint conditions, like arthritis, get progressively worse over time, but using joint injections can prolong the life of your joints and delay the time when you need to consider surgery or joint replacement.

What conditions can pain relief joint injections treat?

Joint injections can help if you have painful joints because of conditions such as:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Gout
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Most joints in your body can benefit from these injections, but they’re used mainly on the knees, shoulders, ankles, elbows, wrists, the base of the big thumb, and smaller joints in your hands and feet. The facet joints in your spine that join the vertebrae and the sacroiliac joint in your pelvis can also benefit from joint injections.

What do injections for joint pain contain?

There are several different types of injections for joint pain:

Steroids

Many joint injections contain steroids, potent drugs that help reduce inflammation. By decreasing tissue inflammation in the affected joints, the Herald Medical PLLC team is helping to ease the pain that inflammation causes, sometimes for several weeks or even months.

Local anesthetic

Joint injections might also contain a local anesthetic, a medication that numbs the pain. This can relieve most or all of your joint pain, but the anesthetic is only short-lasting. Many joint injections contain local anesthetic and steroids combined to optimize results.

Viscosupplementation

Hyaluronic acid (HA) injections help with conditions like arthritis. HA is a natural lubricant, allowing the ends of your bones to slide over each other instead of rubbing together painfully.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

PRP uses naturally occurring cells and growth factors extracted from your blood and concentrated before being injected into your joints. PRP promotes your body’s natural repair and regeneration systems.

If you have joint pain and it’s not improving with the most conservative treatments, joint injections could prove effective. Call Herald Medical PLLC to arrange a consultation or book an appointment online today.