A JOINT
EFFORT
IMAGE-GUIDED STEROID/ANESTHETIC INJECTIONS TO TREAT CHRONIC JOINT PAIN
Osteoarthritis and chronic joint pain impact more than 25 million Americans. If you’re a sufferer, you know how this pain can hinder your daily life, holding you back from your normal, daily activities. Maybe you’ve had to give up walking or golfing with friends because your ankles or knees won’t allow you to keep up. Maybe it has become too difficult to play with your children or grandchildren because your joints
benefits to having the treatment administered by a board-certified musculoskeletal radiologist who has image-guided technology at his or her fingertips. Using ultrasound or low dose imaging, a radiologist can see directly into the joint to ensure the treatment is placed correctly every time. Image-guided joint injection therapy can also be used to diagnose the site of pain, control pain in non-surgical candidates, diminish pain to allow patients to begin physical
continue to ache. Or maybe your yard and garden have suffered because mowing grass, weeding, and trimming hedges
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are impossible with pain in your shoulders, elbows, or wrists. cute and chronic joint pain are common conditions that can certainly put a damper on life. Often this type of pain is caused by an acute inflammatory process or trauma – such as a sports or overuse injury – or a chronic, degenerative disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. It may be that you have already tried conservative therapy for your pain, such as over-the-counter medication, physical therapy, massage, heat packs, stretching, and/or even acupuncture, but nothing seems to work. Fortunately, there is another option that doesn’t involve surgery.
IMAGE-GUIDED STEROID/ANESTHETIC JOINT INJECTIONS For chronic joint pain sufferers, steroid injections can provide fast and long-lasting relief. These injections typically comprise of a short-acting anesthetic and long-acting corticosteroid – which allows patients to feel relief almost instantly. It’s a safe and effective pain relief method that comes with minimal side effects. While these injections are often given by orthopedic doctors, rheumatologists, or even in some cases, primary care physicians, there are 32
CIRCA Magazine
| April
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June 2021
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circamagazine.com
