How effective are joint pain injections?

We recently spoke with highly experienced orthopaedic hip and knee surgeon, Mr Rohit Jain about the different types of injections that can be used for joint pain. For this article, we decided to discuss other factors that can make a big difference.

 

Read on to find out how lifestyle habits can have an impact and what should be done if injections are not effective. Mr Rohit Jain also lets us know if injections for joint pain can cause adverse reactions and whether they can cause even more pain.
 

What else can be done to improve pain besides injections?

Modification of lifestyle habits

Activity modification can help as a part of the treatment, whether it is injections or surgery. Avoiding repetitive high impact sports and choosing low-impact sports can be preferable, if there are underlying cartilage issues with the joints. Non-impact strengthening exercises, swimming and aqua-aerobics take this impact away from the joints. Maintaining a healthy body weight is also equally important as it reduces the joint reaction forces and can itself reduce joint pain.
 

What are the main treatment options for joint pain?

There are two main forms of treatment:

Conservative (or non-operative) Treatment

This includes modification of lifestyle habits, physiotherapy, pain-relieving joint injections, offloader braces, shockwave therapy and more novel Orthobiologic injection therapy.

We try and use all or most of these options to manage the problem first.
 

Surgical (or operative) Treatment

Once the conservative treatment options have been exhausted or if the joint disease is advanced enough so that it is not amenable for conservative treatment then the surgical options are considered to improve the quality of life, reduce pain and restore function.
 

Are injections for joints painful?

The joint injections can be carried out under local anaesthetic, sedation and in some cases a general anaesthetic. The patients if awake, feel a sharp scratch and the injection usually takes less than a minute to be performed. Patients may feel a dull ache or a feeling of fullness in the joint for the first few minutes. Steroids can sometimes cause a cortisol flare up of pain, that can last for 24 to 48 hours.
 

The PRP (platelet rich plasma) and nSTRIDE injection work by creating an inflammation in the joint, and therefore the pain can sometimes worsen for first two to three weeks.
 

Can joint injections cause any adverse reactions?

Steroid injections can cause skin discolouration, especially in dark skinned people causing their skin to become lighter. They can sometimes cause fat atrophy at the site of administration. In other patients who are diabetic, it can cause an increased blood sugar level.
 

In one in 1000 injections it can cause infection. Steroid injections can cause an allergic reaction, but this is rare. PRP and nSTRIDE, have a small risk of flare up of joint pain. Infection after the injection is rare. These injections are prepared from the patient’s own blood and therefore are safe.
 

If you will require any of the treatments mentioned in this article, we recommend getting in contact with leading orthopaedic hip and knee surgeon, Mr Rohit Jain. Click here to visit his Top Doctors profile for more information.