Joint Injections
Overview
Joint injections are common treatments for chronic pain related to any joint in your body. The injections, often guided by advanced imaging, typically include a mixture of long-lasting anesthetic and a steroid. In some instances – in the knees, for example – a gel-like fluid may also be injected to provide cushioning for the joint.
Who Benefits?
Injections are commonly recommended if you’re dealing with chronic pain in the knees, shoulders and hips. Injections are also used in the small facet joints found in the spine. Common ailments include osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, rotator cuff injuries or degenerative joint disease.
Recovery Expectations
This minimally invasive procedure usually takes about 20 minutes and is done in an outpatient setting. You should expect to return home the same day after a brief recovery period and will have some soreness at the injection site.
The anesthetic portion of the treatment should provide immediate pain relief. But it will take the steroids a few days to start working and three weeks to reach maximum effectiveness. There is no guarantee the treatment will work, but it typically provides about three months of pain relief.
