Joint Injections

Joint injections offer an effective treatment to ease pain and improve joint mobility, allowing you to enjoy an active lifestyle. Roland Reinhart, MD, and his team of pain management specialists at the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, could recommend a joint injection as a stand-alone therapy or an integral part of a comprehensive treatment plan. You can schedule an appointment by calling the Palm Desert, California, office or using the convenient online booking feature. Contact the team today so that you can stop spending your days struggling with joint pain.

When would I need a joint injection?

Your Office of Roland Reinhart, MD, provider could recommend a joint injection to relieve pain caused by:

• Osteoarthritis
• Post-traumatic arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Tendon and ligament injuries
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis

Joint injections can ease the pain of many conditions that target large joints (knees, hips, and shoulders) and small joints like those in your wrist, ankle, fingers, and spine.

Which types of joint injections are available?

Joint injections contain one of the following:

Steroids

Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications that reduce tissue swelling inside the joint. Though steroids won’t take effect for up to a week, your pain lessens as the inflammation eases.

Local anesthetic

Your provider can inject an anesthetic alone or with steroids. Local anesthetics rapidly ease the pain but produce temporary results.

Hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid injections treat arthritis. Your joints naturally produce hyaluronic acid, lubricating the joint and helping bones glide without friction. A hyaluronic acid injection eases pain, improves joint mobility, and can slow the progressive tissue damage caused by arthritis.

Platelet-rich plasma and stem cells

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells are regenerative medicine treatments. Both promote healing and reduce inflammation and pain.

What happens during a joint injection?

At the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, the team has years of experience injecting joints with medications. They keep you comfortable by numbing the injection site with a topical anesthetic. They can use a real-time imaging technique like ultrasound or fluoroscopy (X-rays) to see inside the joint and guide the need to a specific area.

After inserting the needle, your provider withdraws (aspirates) excess fluids that might be inside the joint. Then, they inject the medication through the same needle.

You can go home shortly after your joint injection. Your provider could ask you to avoid intense activities for a few days, depending on the joint treated, the medication injected, and the underlying condition.

Many people experience minor tenderness at the injection site, but the discomfort lasts only a few days. If you have a steroid shot, you could experience a temporary increase in pain until the inflammation goes down.

Contact the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, through online booking or call the office today to learn if a joint injection could relieve your pain.