Joint Injections

Joint injections contain potent corticosteroid medication that reduces joint pain and inflammation. Austin McPhilamy, MD, at McPhilamy Bone and Joint in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, offers image-guided injections to patients with joint pain who aren’t finding other treatments effective. Call the office to arrange a consultation or book an appointment with Dr. McPhilamy by completing the online form today.

What are joint injections?

Joint injections can help reduce pain and inflammation, relieve stiffness, and improve function in damaged joints.

These injections contain potent anti-inflammatories called corticosteroids. These medications have a long-lasting effect that could improve your symptoms for weeks and often months. Some joint injections also contain a local anesthetic that numbs the joint completely for a short while.

The local anesthetic effects don’t last long but give you a break from your pain that many patients find very welcome. For some people, stopping pain entirely for a while also has a long-term effect, with the returning pain being less intense.

Why would I need joint injections?

You might benefit from joint injections for an injury or disease affecting the ligaments, tendons, or cartilage in your joints. Common examples include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Bursitis
• Tendinitis
• Ligament sprains
• Tendon strains
• Rotator cuff tears in the shoulder
• Labrum injuries in the hip and shoulder
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Joint injections can be helpful for these and many other musculoskeletal conditions, but they’re rarely the first option in your treatment plan. Oral medication, splinting or bracing, activity modification, and physical therapy are very effective treatments for many problems.

However, if your pain doesn’t improve or you have an incurable condition like arthritis that deteriorates over time, joint injections are often the next step.

What does having joint injections involve?

Joint injections are outpatient procedures so that you can go home afterward. You might have a sedative to keep you relaxed and a local anesthetic to numb the injection site.

Dr. McPhilamy uses image guidance techniques, such as fluoroscopy (moving X-rays) or ultrasound, to view the needle’s path into your joint. This ensures that you don’t suffer any damage to the nerves or other tissues and that the medication goes to the place where it will do the most good.

You need to stay for a while after the injection if you have had a sedative to ensure it wears off. You might feel a little tenderness at the injection site for a day or two, but this soon disappears.

A local anesthetic injection into the joint has an almost instant effect, then quickly wears off. The corticosteroid might take longer to work, but it should also last longer and may resolve your pain altogether.

Call McPhilamy Bone and Joint to see how you could benefit from a joint injection, or book an appointment online today.