Injections of pain-relieving medication are common when it comes to treating back pain. However, did you know that other body parts which experience pain can benefit from injections? Whether you have neck pain or arthritis in the knee, a joint injection can be a potential solution for your aching issues.
Injections are a safe, low-risk option to treat pain at the source and get you mobile again. Furthermore, the pain relief received from injections, as well as therapy, can help pain sufferers decrease their reliance on opioids and their dangerous side-effects.
How Injections Work
Injections can be used on a variety of body parts to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Although inflammation occurs naturally as part of the body’s immune response – thus, helping us heal – prolonged inflammation often occurs due to chronic conditions, resulting in long-term pain.
A physician can determine which injections are necessary depending on your specific condition. In most cases, a combination of local anesthetic and steroid medication will be used. The anesthetic works to reduce short-term pain, while the steroid works to reduce long-term pain and inflammation.
For some patients, one injection can be enough to provide proper long-term relief. On the other hand, others may need multiple injections to gain the full benefits.
The Procedure
To prepare for an injection, your physician must clean the area to be treated, then inject a numbing medication. In order to inject the medication in the exact area necessary, the physician often uses an X-ray device known as a fluoroscope and a test injection of dye. When the needle’s proper placement is determined, a syringe filled with medication is connected and the medication is injected. Once the needle is removed, the site may be covered by a bandage.
For more information, contact ProMED Pain Rehabilitation Institute and request an appointment today.