Joint Injections

If medications and activity modification are no longer effective for your hip or knee joint pain, you may find temporary relief with joint injections.

What Are Joint Injections & Am I a Candidate?

Injections are a minimally invasive treatment option for pain related to cartilage damage in the joint or inflammation of the tissues around the joint. Although the duration of relief is somewhat variable, the majority of patients report significant temporary improvement. Injections that are given inside the joint are called “intra-articular” injections. Injections can also be used outside of the joint to improve pain arising from inflamed tissue.

What Happens During a Joint Injection?

At Total Joint Specialists, your comfort and safety is our highest priority. There are a number of numbing techniques that can be used to keep you as comfortable as possible.

In some cases, you will need an aspiration before the injection. An aspiration is a procedure to remove excess fluid with a needle from inside the painful joint.

If you’re receiving an injection in a deep joint such as your hip, your provider may use an ultrasound machine to confirm the position of the needle is in the correct location. Ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging technology that provides real-time images of your joint.

Joint injections have minimal risk. However, it’s normal to have some mild discomfort and bruising at the injection site after your procedure. These issues go away within a few days without additional treatment.

What Is in the Injections?

The type of medicine used in injections for hip and knee pain can be divided into several categories:

• Local anesthetics, or “numbing agents,” are often used alone or in combination with other medicines in the injection. These agents provide very quick relief if used on the area causing the pain. As such, they are often used to confirm the exact location of the pain.
• Steroids (i.e., “cortisone”) are among the most common injections used to treat hip and knee pain. Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatories and reduce pain related to inflammation in or around the joint.  
• Hyaluronate (“lubricating injection,” “rooster shots,” “viscosupplementation”) is an option for treating pain from milder forms of knee arthritis. The injections are available as a single dose or a weekly series of injections.
• Biologic injections include various options and remain under intense study to determine their effect. Please consult with your surgeon for further information.

What Can I Expect With Joint Injections?

The results of joint injections vary from person to person and can last for several weeks or months.

Initially, after your injection, you may feel like your pain increases for a while before the medications begin to work. Many people notice a significant reduction in the pain and an increase in range of motion a few days after their procedure.