Joint Injection

Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care

Pain Management Physicians & Vein Specialists located across Northwest Indiana

Conditions like osteoarthritis cause continual joint pain that can be hard to manage. If you have severe or treatment-resistant joint pain, the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care team can help. At their offices in Hobart, LaPorte, Merrillville, Munster, and Valparaiso, Indiana, the expert pain management physicians use a range of specialized joint injections containing steroid and anesthetic medications to diagnose and relieve your pain. Call the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care office nearest you today for more information or book an appointment using the online form.

Joint Injection Q & A

Why might I need a joint injection?

You might need a joint injection if you have pain that isn't improving using more conservative treatment options. Common joint pain conditions include:

Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Gout
Tendinitis
Bursitis

Some causes of joint pain are due to wear-and-tear or disease, while others are a result of an acute injury. Knees, for example, are vulnerable to ligament strains when playing sports. You could also damage your joints in an auto accident, or dislocate or break the joint.

The team initially uses non-surgical approaches to address the causes of joint pain, including:

Ultrasound therapy
Electrical stimulation
Application of heat and cold
Topical creams

For most patients, a combination of two or more of these treatments resolves their joint pain. If you aren't feeling better, though, the next step could be joint injections.

How does a joint injection work?

The Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care team uses joint injections containing steroids (powerful anti-inflammatory drugs) and a local anesthetic.

The anesthetic provides immediate relief but wears off within a day or two. The steroid offers longer-term respite by keeping inflammation under control.

The team uses X-ray guidance (fluoroscopy) to deliver your injection. It's an outpatient procedure for which you need only a local anesthetic at the injection site and a light sedative.

What types of joint injections are available?

The Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care team offers several types of joint injections:

AC (acromioclavicular) joint injection

The AC joint is at the top of your shoulder and often develops arthritis.

Bursa injection

Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints. Some also produce lubricating synovial fluid. Inflammation of a bursa (bursitis) is a common cause of joint pain.

Glenohumeral (GH) joint injection

The GH joint is your primary shoulder joint, where your upper arm bone (humerus) fits into the socket (glenoid) in your shoulder blade.

Intra-articular hip and knee injections

An intra-articular injection provides relief from arthritis and injuries like meniscus tears in the knees or labral tears in the hips.

Sacroiliac (SI) joint injection

The SI joints connect your sacrum at the bottom of your spine with the iliac bones of your pelvis. They don't move much, but if the ligaments get too tight or loose, it can cause pelvic pain.

In addition to knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow injections, you could also benefit from an injection into the facet joints in your spine.

As well as these therapeutic injections, the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care team also uses nerve blocks – injections of local anesthetic – as a diagnostic tool.

A genicular nerve block, for example, can help determine the cause of your knee pain and whether a treatment like radiofrequency ablation is likely to help.

Find out more about joint injections and how they could ease your pain by calling the Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care today or booking an appointment online.