The Benefits of Joint Injections

When your knees, hips, or shoulders hurt, it's a cause for concern, especially when you can't seem to get relief. After trying medications and physical therapy without significantly relieving your pain, joint injections are usually the next step.

The team at Advanced Integrated Medical understands how crucial it is to get fast and efficient pain relief. Dr. Dee S. Stevens is our functional and regenerative medicine specialist who offers joint injections when you have joint pain that won't go away with other treatments.

Common joint injections

Your joints are essential parts of your body that you need to perform everyday tasks like walking and lifting things around the house. If you're active, your joints are even more vital to your daily activities.

However, over time, your joints are prone to wear-and-tear and arthritis. Multiple types of arthritis affect your joints, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

When arthritis strikes, you need relief and fast. Simple lifestyle changes can help, but sometimes it isn't enough to ease discomfort. When other treatments aren't successful either, you may benefit from joint injections.

Dr. Stevens offers several different forms of joint injections, a few of which include the following:

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are a fast-acting alternative to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. They're fast acting and relieve pain and inflammation in your joints. You can have several corticosteroid injections annually, and Dr. Stevens often gives them a local anesthetic for extra pain relief.

Platelet-rich plasma

PRP is a type of regenerative medicine treatment that Dr. Stevens uses to regenerate new cells and tissue within your damaged joint. He uses your platelets and plasma to create a serum that’s rich in growth proteins from the platelets.

Hyaluronic acid

If you're living with knee arthritis, hyaluronic acid injections effectively ease your discomfort. Hyaluronic acid is similar to the fluid your joint naturally produces, acting as a lubricant to prevent friction and pain in your knee joint.

Various types of arthritis benefit from joint injections, including osteoarthritis, gout, and psoriatic arthritis. Dr. Stevens evaluates your joint to determine which is best for your symptoms.

Benefits of joint injections

Joint injections are incredibly beneficial for arthritis and other invasive joint conditions. They offer several benefits over different types of treatments, a few of which include the following:

Minimally invasive

Unlike joint surgery, which is highly involved, joint injections are minimally invasive and don't require any downtime. They're relatively painless and provide quick relief from your pain, and you can go about your normal activities shortly afterward.

Highly effective

Joint injections are often highly effective for arthritis pain, primarily when other treatments haven't worked. If you're in pain and are looking for a fast and successful option for arthritis pain relief, a joint injection may be just what you need.

Immediate relief

Most doctors give joint injections with a local anesthetic to provide you with quick relief while the medication in the injection works. The local anesthetic gives you fast relief, while the drug within the injection works to improve your arthritis symptoms over the next few weeks.

Well-tolerated

Surgery is invasive and requires months of rehabilitation, which isn't for everyone. Joint injections are a great alternative; people tolerate them well without much downtime. You'll feel less pain after just one joint injection, which can last for months.

They're safe

Joint injections are extremely safe compared to more invasive procedures. Though some risks are still involved, they typically include redness or pain at the injection site and risk of infection.

However, Dr. Stevens takes every precaution possible to ensure a safe and effective outcome when he provides you with a joint injection.

To find out how joint injections can help you, don't hesitate to call one of our conveniently located offices in Utah today, or request an appointment on this website.