By Fox Valley Orthopedics
For chronic pain, joint injections may be a treatment option worth considering as a stepping-stone toward recovery. This treatment is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed in an outpatient setting, and the risks associated with orthopedic injections are low.
What Are Joint Injections?
Physiatrists use injections to relieve pain and improve function in the affected joint—usually done using a local anesthetic. The medication is injected into the joint space; the area between the bones that make up the joint. Most commonly, anti-inflammatory corticosteroid injections are used to provide long-term pain relief. This treatment also treats other orthopedic conditions like bursitis, tendinitis, and arthritis.
Other forms of orthopedic joint injections include:
- Viscosupplementation injections: made of hyaluronic acid, which decreases friction during movement, reduces pain, and improves the range of motion for osteoarthritis patients.
- Platelet-rich plasma injections: use a patient’s platelets to help heal injured joints, tendons, and soft tissues. Conditions that can be treated with this treatment range from chronic tendon issues to nerve damage, muscle injuries, and more.
- Stem cell injections: use a patient’s regenerative stem cells to treat osteoarthritis and various soft tissue injuries, as stem cells aid in rebuilding soft tissue, cartilage, and bone.
Additional benefits of these joint injections include:
Preparing For Physical Therapy
Whether the joint pain is from rheumatoid arthritis, a sports injury, or another orthopedic condition, joint injections can be used to help reduce pain after an injury and prepare for the path to healing. Using this method can provide significant relief of pain in the affected joint. This can help to regain control of everyday life without pain getting in the way.
Improvement of Function
In addition to relieving pain, this treatment option can also help to improve joint function. Orthopedic injections help improve mobility by reducing inflammation and joint pain. This can allow a person to move more quickly and participate in fun activities.
Instead of Surgery
In some cases, joint injections can avoid the need for surgery. Often, joint replacement surgery is saved as a last option if other treatments cannot help ease symptoms. This orthopedic option can help save time and money and reduce the risk of complications associated with surgery.
To learn more, visit Fox Valley Orthopedics’ website at FVOrtho.com, or call 630-584-1400.
Fox Valley Orthopedics (FVO) provides musculoskeletal care in diagnostic and comprehensive treatment for patients of all ages who have acute or chronic orthopedic conditions or injuries. FVO board certified/board-eligible physicians and surgeons specialize in various areas of orthopedics and draw from multiple treatment options to provide surgical and non-surgical solutions. Areas of service include foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity, joint replacement, spine, and sports medicine, as well as pain management and rheumatology. FVO’s Ambulatory Surgery Center and in-house imaging also provide cost-effective convenient care, as well as OrthoFirst, FVO’s urgent walk-in clinic. Fox Valley Orthopedics is a state-of-the-art, state-licensed facility, and is accredited by the AAAHC – Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. Visit FVOrtho.com, or call 630-584-1400 for more information.
