Your knees endure a lot of wear-and-tear daily, which may often cause long-term joint pain or injuries. Chronic knee pain is hard to manage, especially when it interferes with work or daily activities.
Sometimes, rest and over-the-counter medications are all you need to get back on your feet — but what if that isn’t enough to reduce the pain?
Joint injections are an excellent option when other treatments haven’t effectively eliminated your knee pain. But when is the best time to consider these treatments?
The team at Advanced Integrated Medical offers joint injections when other options haven’t reduced your pain to a tolerable level.
Dr. Dee S. Stevens is our regenerative and functional medicine specialist who provides several knee injections to alleviate chronic and acute knee discomfort.
What causes knee pain?
Knee pain is a problem that affects millions of people yearly, causing significant distress and disability. Injuries and chronic medical conditions can lead to knee discomfort either over time or acutely.
Many conditions lead to knee discomfort, including the following problems:
- Bursitis
- ACL injuries
- Meniscal injuries
- Ligament tears
- Tendon injuries
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of long-term knee pain that’s sometimes difficult for doctors to treat. It leads to damage around the joint and destruction of the protective cartilage.
Inflammation and pain are common with osteoarthritis, especially as it continues progressing. Conservative measures sometimes work to reduce pain, but when they don’t, joint injections are a great option.
Understanding joint injections
Joint injections are a minimally invasive option for knee pain and it’s often successful when other conservative measures haven’t worked.
The root cause of your knee pain determines the type of injection Dr. Stevens uses for relief. He offers various kinds of injections at the practice, including:
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is a manufactured version of the same substance the human body makes to lubricate the joints. These injections benefit osteoarthritis in the knee joints, providing support and less friction within the damaged area.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications that reduce both swelling and knee joint pain. They are helpful after an injury or when you’re living with a chronic condition that leads to inflammation in the joint.
Platelet-rich plasma
Platelet-rich plasma is an injection that uses your cells to encourage the body to heal the damage in the knees. Dr. Stevens uses your platelets, which are essential in clotting and contain critical growth factors that aid in healing damaged tissues over time.
When are joint injections an option?
Joint injections are an excellent option for people with mild-to-moderate knee pain that hasn’t experienced significant relief from other measures.
Physical therapy, over-the-counter medications, and rest are all first-line options for knee pain. However, they only work for some.
If you’ve tried several conservative measures but are continuing to have pain in your knees, you can ask Dr. Stevens about joint injections for pain relief.
What to expect after a joint injection
Everyone responds differently to joint injections, depending on various factors, including the severity of the issue in the joint and their age.
However, many people experience significant relief from joint injections within several days to a week after the treatment. Often, the relief continues to get better as weeks progress.
Sometimes, you require multiple joint injections over several weeks for the best outcome and relief of pain. Dr. Stevens assesses your knee joint to determine the best treatment route and how many injections you need to finally get your pain under control.
You may notice some redness and swelling around the injection site for the first day or so afterward, but it should subside within a few days. You may see immediate relief, or it could take a few days to weeks to notice a significant change.
To schedule an appointment for a knee injection, don’t hesitate to call one of our conveniently located offices in Utah today or request a consultation on the website.