If you're experiencing joint pain that isn't improving with conservative treatments, steroid injections could help. Our teams at Midwest Center for Joint Replacement deliver joint injections to suppress inflammation and ease pain. The results can last for several months — sometimes a year or more. Find out how you can benefit by calling our office in Indianapolis or Bloomington, Indiana, today.
Injections can help joint pain by reducing inflammation when other therapies aren't providing symptom relief.
For many people who have joint pain, a combination of rest or activity modification, physical therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes help damaged tissues heal and relieve pain.
If you've tried these approaches without success, or your symptoms were under control at one point but are worsening again, joint injections could offer significant benefits. You could also delay the need for surgery with joint injections.
Corticosteroids (steroids, for short) contain synthetic cortisol that mimics the action of the natural cortisol produced by your adrenal glands. Cortisol is a hormone necessary for regulating your body's metabolism and immune response.
A steroid injection reduces the inflammation in your joints. This may be a temporary relief, requiring repeat injections, or the relief may be long-lasting.
Our team at Midwest Center for Joint Replacement typically delivers knee injections for patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. We provide hip injections most commonly for patients with hip bursitis.
Bursitis is a painful disorder affecting the bursae, which are small, fluid-filled sacs near your joints that cushion your bones, tendons, and muscles. Bursitis is an inflammation of the bursae. It most frequently arises as a result of overuse and repetitive strain injuries.
Most joint injections are done in-office during your standard appointment. The team uses a numbing spray at the treatment site.
It's not advisable to inject steroids into the same area repeatedly, so we typically wait at least three months between administering injections.
If you've tried injections for a while and still aren't experiencing long-lasting relief, your provider may recommend that you consider joint replacement surgery.