Joint Injections

Joints experiencing excessive pain and inflammation can be treated with Joint Injections. Some of those conditions include:

Knee Knee joint pain, or osteoarthritis, is often called wear-and tear arthritis and occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions your bones at the joint wears down or breaks away and the bones rub together.

Knee pain is a common complaint that affects people of all ages and may be the result of an injury, such as a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage or medical conditions, including arthritis, gout, and overuse.

Shoulder The shoulder joint is the most mobile in the body and allows the arm to move in a circular motion as well as up, down, and away from the body. If you’ve injured your shoulder, it is most likely associated with your rotator cuff, made up of four tendons connecting the muscles to the bone. Pinched nerves, dislocation, torn cartilage and arthritis can also affect the shoulder.

Hands Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the two most common types of arthritis in the hand. Repetitive motion injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome, can cause pain in the wrist and hand.

At Precision Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine , we have a variety of injections to treat the assorted issues that are common to joint pain. Depending on the condition, severity, and joint location, the following gives an idea of the benefits that can be achieved with Joint Injections:

Lubricating Joint Injections Joints where the cartilage has degenerated or worn down can benefit from osteoarthritis injections. Also known as gel injections, this type of injection lubricates the joint with a chemical substance similar to the natural fluid in the joint, Hyaluronic Acid (HA).

Hyaluronic Acid acts like a shock absorber, helping the joints work properly and relieving pain caused by friction and inflammation.

Anti-Inflammatory Joint Injections Deep joint inflammation can limit the joint’s range of motion and make rehabilitation difficult, if not impossible.

Anti-inflammatory injections work by decreasing inflammation and allowing for the possibility of physical therapy and an exercise program which will further facilitate recovery.

Often injected directly into joints to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or other inflammatory diseases, they can also be injected into inflamed bursae, or around tendons near the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, hand, or wrist.

PRP Injections After creating platelet-rich plasma from a patient’s blood sample, that solution is injected into the target area, such as an injured knee or a tendon. In some cases, the clinician may use ultrasound to guide the injection. The idea is to increase the concentration of specific bioproteins or hormones, called growth factors, in a specific area to accelerate the healing process.

The mechanism behind PRP injections is not completely understood. Studies show that the increased concentration of growth factors in platelet-rich plasma may stimulate or speed up the healing process, shortening healing time for injuries, decreasing pain.

Joint Injections facilitate healing by breaking the cycle of pain and reducing inflammation.

Although the injections do not change the underlying condition, what they do is allow enough relief from pain for the patient to begin an exercise program and physical therapy to strengthen muscles and get the joint moving again.

The goal is for the injections to last long enough to begin a recovery program for the joint. Typically, these injections benefit the patient for anywhere from a few months to one year.