5 Conditions that Respond Well to Joint Injections

Joint pain is a common problem that can interfere with your life in many ways. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find relief unless your treatment targets the tissues involved in your pain.

At Advanced Sports Medicine, James Johnson, MD, helps patients in Belle Meade and Nashville, Tennessee, manage painful symptoms with joint injections tailored to their symptoms, lifestyle, and other factors. In this post, learn about five relatively common problems that often benefit from the skillful use of joint injections.

1. Arthritis

Arthritis is a degenerative inflammatory condition that damages the surfaces of your joints. When we hear the word arthritis, most of us think of osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis that becomes more common with age. Overall, though, there are more than 100 types of arthritis, and all involve the destruction of the joint.

2. Gout

Gout is another type of arthritis typically appearing first in the big toe joint. Gout happens when uric acid builds up in your blood, forming hard crystals inside your joints. These crystals damage the joint and interfere with normal joint function, causing pain, tenderness, and inflammation.

Gout is more common among people who are overweight or obese, those who eat a lot of sugars, and people who consume foods and beverages high in purines, chemical compounds found primarily in red meat, organ meats, and certain seafood.

3. Bursitis

Bursae are tiny, fluid-filled sacs found primarily around your joints. These sacs cushion your muscles and tendons while supporting smooth joint movement. Bursitis happens when one or more sacs become inflamed. While bursitis can affect any of these sacs, it often occurs in the shoulder, elbow, or hip.

4. Tendonitis

Composed of tough, fibrous tissue, tendons connect your muscles to your bones, typically at your joints. Tendonitis happens when tendons become irritated and inflamed. If you have tendonitis, you may feel pain in your muscle or surrounding tissue every time you move your joint, even for simple daily activities.

5. Plantar fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a thick band of fibrous tissue extending across the bottom of the foot. You put pressure on your plantar fascia every time you take a step. Plantar fasciitis happens when this tissue is inflamed, causing significant pain often focused on the heel area.

How joint injections can help

Joint injections use a combination of anesthetics and corticosteroids. Anesthetics provide immediate pain relief, while corticosteroids work on reducing the inflammation that’s causing pain. For arthritis, Dr. Johnson might use a different type of joint injection or supplement the lubricating joint fluid, helping the joint move more smoothly and reducing pain and inflammation.

All joint injections are performed right in the office using a local anesthetic to keep you comfortable. Dr. Johnson uses a special type of X-ray machine to ensure accurate and precise injection placement to help you get the most benefits possible.

After an injection, it’s common to have some pain and stiffness. Still, as the medications or lubricating solutions take effect over the following days and weeks, patients experience pain relief and a decrease in inflammation. Better still, injections can be repeated to help you maintain pain relief and improved range of motion in the joint.

Find out if joint injections can help you

Joint injections are designed to address multiple problems affecting your joints and the surrounding tissues. To find out if injections can help relieve your pain, call 615-467-4636 or book an appointment online with Dr. Johnson and the team at Advanced Sports Medicine today.