But in some cases, the best option turns out to be injections of corticosteroids. These work to decrease the nerve inflammation that is behind the pain. These aren’t usually viewed as long-term or permanent solutions, but these injections can calm issues such as tendinitis to the degree that the condition resolves. In other cases, they are a good bridge to reduce the pain and inflammation while the patient uses exercise or physical therapy to build strength in the muscles surrounding the painful joints.
In April’s two blogs, let’s get into the injection therapies we use at Summit Healthcare Pain Clinic.
Why injections?
Obviously, no one wants to deal with chronic pain. It begins to impact the patient’s quality of life. But at the same time, most patients hope to avoid surgery, such as joint replacement, or at least to delay the need. Corticosteroid injections can provide an effective treatment to help patients manage their pain without surgery. It can also be a good alternative to long-term oral medication use. These injections can enable patients to perform the exercises and build the strength needed to help decrease the causes of their pain moving forward.
Corticosteroid injections
Although all of these injections involve some amount of corticosteroid, they can also be the main ingredient. That’s the case when Dr. Trujillo uses these injections for arthritis pain. Because arthritis is, by definition, inflammation of the joint, the direct injection of steroid into the joint can make inroads against the inflammation.
For these injections, Dr. Trujillo often uses x-ray guidance to ensure the proper placement of the injection.
Because arthritis isn’t a condition that will reverse itself, the use of steroid injections is helpful to allow the patient to employ other means to try and protect their joints. Corticosteroid injections can be repeated, but they need to be spaced out at least 4-6 weeks. Patients cannot receive more than four injections within a year, as more frequency can lead to cartilage damage in the joint.
In April’s second blog, we’ll get into two other injection options we use at Summit Healthcare Pain Clinic. Until then, if you’re dealing with chronic pain, please call Dr. Trujillo at (855) 768-4968 to schedule a consultation.
