Knee Injections

Knee pain is common and affects millions of Americans every year. Some individuals suffer from knee pain because of a previous sports related injury, regular wear and tear, and/or an underlying health condition. For a majority of these individuals home remedies and some rest are enough to relieve knee pain. But when knee pain occurs more frequently, and the symptoms seem to be getting worse, it may be time for other treatment approaches. Some knee pain symptoms to watch out for are: 

• Redness and swelling 
• Stiffness in the knee 
• Knee weakness 
• Popping/Crunching noise 
• Inability to straighten the knee 
• Your knee cannot bear any weight 
• Knee feels unstable and like it may give out 
• If you’re experiencing fever 

You may experience some of these symptoms in a mild form. When the symptoms are mild, they can usually be managed with over-the-counter pain relief medication and some self-care. When these symptoms become magnified, or you notice these symptoms as a direct result of an injury, you should seek out professional medical advice.  

Your doctor may be able to provide you with treatment approaches to better relieve your pain. For more chronic pain management services, they may refer you to a pain management specialist. A pain management specialist will have skills and experience to determine an appropriate and safe treatment plan for your knee pain. One of these treatment approaches they may recommend are knee injections.  

Injections for knee pain are a common treatment approach to help relieve pain symptoms. The injection administered is typically a combination of steroid and anesthetic. Depending on the severity and location of your knee pain, the injection can be administered to various regions. Knee injections for pain can help reduce and alleviate your pain.  

Do Knee Injections Work

Injections for knee pain are a minimally invasive way to treat your symptoms. Patients may experience immediate relief from their symptoms due to the anesthetic present in the solution. And they may experience long term relief from the steroid present in the injection.  

Your healthcare professional will utilize progressive X-Ray guided fluoroscopy to determine the most effective placement of the injection. The solution is administered to the joint space, directly treating the affected area.  

The procedure is performed in a sterile environment. You will be positioned according to the location of your pain. The injection site will be cleansed using betadine or alcohol. Your physician will anesthetize your skin using local anesthetic. A small needle with medication will deliver the anesthetic to the site of pain. You may experience pressure at the site. The process may take up to 15 minutes to administer. You may begin to notice immediate relief, but it may take a day or two for the medication to take full effect.  

The nerves, muscles, and tissue surround the affected area of the knee are bathed in the solution from the injection, reducing inflammation and pain. This allows patients to experience better mobility and help them return to a fully functioning life. Some patients may even benefit from the short term relief because it allows them to participate in physical therapy (another treatment method for knee pain) for long term relief.  

What Conditions Do Knee Injections Treat?

These injections are used to treat pain associated with osteoarthritis, injury, tendonitis, degenerative arthritis, and other joint related conditions. Some of these symptoms may include pain while moving, standing for long periods, or sitting for long periods. Some patients may experience throbbing dull pain while others may experience hot, shooting pain.  

Immediately after knee injection, a patient may also experience a temporary increase in pain before the anesthetic is experienced. You will need to take precautions to not overexert yourself and injure the injection site. You will also be asked not to sit in any pools or tubs for 48 hours after the injection to prevent infection. The steroid medication may take 2-3 days to start having a full effect. Patients can use an ice pack applied to the area to alleviate any discomfort.  

Pain and Spine Specialists offers progressive treatments like X-Ray guided fluoroscopy injections for knee pain, as well as other therapeutic approaches. Our experienced and skilled medical professionals can help establish effective treatments to help reduce your pain symptoms to improve the quality of your life. You can call (301) 703-8767 (Pain Management Maryland), (724) 603-3560 (Pain Management Pennsylvania), or (540) 433-1905 (Pain Management Virginia) and schedule an appointment today.