Arthritis is an age-related condition that causes swelling and tenderness in one or more of the body joints. Most patients with arthritis experience joint pain and stiffness which exacerbate with time. There are over a hundred forms of arthritis, but the most common ones include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis causes the breakdown or deterioration of cartilage covering the ends of bones, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joint lining. Specialists recommend arthritis injections Dallas for patients to manage symptoms and improve their quality of life.
What to know before having arthritis injections
Before getting arthritis injections, you will consult with your provider to ensure that you are a good candidate for this treatment. Your doctor may go through your medical history to check any medical conditions that impede treatment. For example, you may not be a good candidate for steroid injections if you have diabetes since your blood sugar levels may rise for a few days after the injection. If you have an infection in the part of the body that needs treating, your provider may recommend against arthritis injections.
Patients with blood or blood clotting problems such as hemophilia have an increased risk of bleeding into the joint after having a steroid injection. You will need to discuss with your doctor if you have this condition or if there is a predisposition to it in your family.
Having too many steroid injections causes cartilage damage; therefore, your provider may advise you not to have more than three injections into the same body part within a year. Depending on your symptoms, your provider may recommend having less than three steroid injections in a year.
Administering arthritis injections
First, your doctor talks to you about the most suitable steroid mixture and dose depending on your symptoms. Your provider also checks your blood sugar and blood pressure levels since they tend to rise after the injection. If any of these is raised, your doctor may delay the injection. How your provider administers the injection depends on the pain and inflammation location. They may inject steroids directly into an inflamed joint (intra-articular injection), into the soft tissues (peri-articular injection), or into a muscle (intramuscular injection).
A healthcare professional carries out most injections in a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office. Providers usually use ultrasound imaging to ensure precision purposes. An ultrasound allows your doctor to see a part of your body’s inside and direct the needle to the right spot. Sometimes doctors combine steroids with local anesthesia to reduce the discomfort of the injection. As the doctor inserts the needle, you may feel some pain, but it should not be severely painful. Usually, the effects of local anesthesia wear off in an hour unless your doctor gives you a long-lasting one.
After getting an injection, you may need to avoid rigorous motion of the treated joint for the first two weeks to avoid tendon damage. You may also experience a flare-up in joint pain within the fort 24 hours after injection, which often settles without treatment in a couple of days.
For further inquiries about arthritis injection, consult with your doctor at JAM Wellness Clinics.
