Any damage to a joint from disease or injury can interfere with mobility and cause a lot of pain and inflammation. The joints most people experience the greatest amount of pain in are the ones used very frequently – for example, hips, knees, shoulders, and joints in the hand and wrist are used every day.
Joint pain often is caused by arthritis, a degenerative disease that occurs when the cartilage lining the joint surface shrinks and wears thin causing stress on the bone, inflammation, and enlargement of the joint. Other causes of joint pain include gout, injury or overuse.
A joint injection typically contains a local anesthetic and a corticosteroid, where the steroid suppresses inflammation and decreases swelling for long-term pain relief.
In addition to treating joint pain, the injections are used as a diagnostic tool. The local anesthetic has a numbing effect in the joint, and the amount of immediate pain relief experienced will help confirm or rule out the joint as a source of pain.
A lot of times during the procedure, fluoroscropy (x-ray) is used to ensure proper placement of the needle and accurate delivery of the medication to the joint area.
Joint injections are safely performed on an outpatient basis. The procedure typically requires 20 minutes, including preparation time, and is followed by a short period of observed recovery time.
Pain relief using joint injections is expected to last several months or longer. If needed, the injections may be repeated a few times during the year.