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Knee pain can be managed with a knee injection, whether it’s a steroid injection for knee pain or a genicular nerve block. Other options include knee injections for arthritis and viscosupplementation injections. By far, a cortisone injection knee treatment is the most common of all the injections for knee pain treatments, but the genicular nerve block knee treatment provides your knee genicular nerve block to stop the pain. Make an appointment at our sports injury and pain management center in NY to get your pain evaluation and treatment.
Your knees are tough joints; they cushion your landing when you jump, like in basketball, and they take all the torque when you run, like in soccer. Knees bridge the intersection between the femur in your thigh and the fibula and tibia in your shin. Knees have a complex structure of ligaments and tendons that allow you to bend and stretch your knees.
So, when knee pain strikes, visit a sports injury specialist to find out about your treatment options. There are many reasons why your knee (or knees) are hurting, including:
With so many possible causes for your pain, your experienced pain management specialist needs to determine exactly what’s wrong with your knee. The diagnosis — arrived at through a physical examination, medical history and, if necessary, additional imaging tests — determines the treatment. But a knee injection can ease the pain and inflammation in your knee.
There are several different types of knee injections, and some have a specific purpose. For example:
Whether any of these treatments are right for you is a question only your pain management doctor can answer after reaching your diagnosis. Often, your doctor starts you out with conservative treatment options, like rest, over-the-counter pain relievers and physical therapy. But when these remedies don’t provide the needed reduction in pain, one of these injections for knee pain may be the next step. Surgery, such as partial or total knee replacement, is always the last option, if nothing else worked.
You can get same-day knee injections at the Sports and Pain Institute in NY. After your diagnosis is determined and your treatment is decided, you’re made comfortable on an x-ray table. Your doctor relies on fluoroscopic images in real-time to guide the needle to the exact spots in your knee that the medicine has to reach.
Whether you receive a genicular nerve block knee treatment, knee injections for arthritis, steroid injection for knee pain, or viscosupplementation injections, you have the same procedure. All injections, in fact, contain some local anesthetic to instantly relieve your pain, although the effects of the anesthetic last only a couple of hours. After the procedure, you can go home, where you should relax for the rest of the day.
All knee injections are safe and all have a track record of success. But risks and side effects, though rare, can happen. Every kind of knee injection carries the risk of infection, but you can avoid that by keeping your knee clean and dry. Particular risks of each type of knee injection include:
These risks and side effects are minor compared to the potential benefit of several pain-free months. Talk to your doctor about the risks before deciding to get a knee injection.
Everything was great, from the receptionist to Dr. Febin, I was well taken care of. The dr. examined my knee, gave me tips, medication, recovery exercises and recommended me a place with a great price to get a MRI if needed. Thank you!
Guilherme NascimentoKnee injection is a type of procedure in which medications are injected into the knee joint to treat the pain. Types of injections include steroid shots, hyaluronic acid injections, and genicular nerve block. A genicular nerve block works by blocking the nerves that carry pain signals from your inflamed knee.
A steroid shot, (or a cortisone knee shot), works by immediately reducing inflammation in your joint. Hyaluronic acid is normally present in healthy knee joints and helps lubricate them. But people with osteoarthritis (joint inflammation) generally lack enough amounts of this gel-like, elastic fluid in their joints.
Benefits of hyaluronic acid injection:
Steroid injections are safe if used in appropriate doses. These injections are a common treatment for arthritis, tendonitis, and muscle and joint inflammation. To cure arthritis pain, the dosage of injections shouldn’t be more than four injections every 12 months.
Nevertheless, potential side effects can happen with larger doses and frequent use. Repeated steroid injections can cause arthritis aggravation, weakening of the tendons and bones, and gradual damage to the joint and its cartilage. Hence, their frequent use should be restricted.
We have many skillful specialists that can painlessly perform this procedure. However, you can feel a slight discomfort at the injection site. By necessity, the doctor may inject a syringe into the knee joint and remove a small amount of joint fluid. It will alleviate the pressure and pain from the knee.
Depending on the procedure type, it may take a few days or weeks for you to feel the effect of the injection. The physical nuances of a person also impact the symptom’s improvement. Some people feel instant relief while others should wait a few days. Hyaluronic acid injections, on the other hand, don’t offer instant benefits. Their effects begin roughly around the fourth week, with the maximum pain relief noted by the eighth week.
The effect of a steroid shot usually lasts from 6 to 12 weeks. The extent of the inflammation and overall health play a vital role in the duration of the injection effects. If you pair the injection with physical therapy or other rehabilitation treatments the relief can be prolonged.
There are different outcomes depending on the kind of the issue and the injection’s type. Steroid injections help promptly relieve knee pain and inflammation. You may feel a temporal “steroid flare-up” in pain that can last two days following the injection. Afterward, the discomfort in your joint will reduce, giving you long-standing pain relief. Pain relief can recover your foot functions that have been impaired by inflammation.
Another type of knee injection called visco-supplementation injection involves injecting a gel-like fluid called hyaluronic acid into the inflamed knee joint. With this knee injection, you may not feel any immediate benefit. Many patients report some pain relief after several weeks of the course of injections, while others may benefit even months after the first injection.
Most patients experience the most significant pain relief between 8 to 12 weeks after starting the treatment. Moreover, you may experience some swelling, heat, redness, itching, rash, bruising around your joint, and a build-up of fluid in your treated knee. These reactions are usually mild and transient.
If there aren’t any issues after the procedure, you are free to go home. You may be advised to:
Light activities, like walking, are allowed.
Recovery after a steroid shot does not take much time. It’s highly advised to take a break for at least 24 hours. Resting the joint after the injection is important to allow the inflammation to lessen. Exercises that can strain the joint should be avoided for several days after the injection. It’s best to stay active once you can exercise without feeling the discomfort or pain. However, it’s dangerous to overexert. Overexertion can damage your knee joint, making the whole steroid injection treatment useless.
It’s okay to take a shower the same day. But, it is best to not take a bath, a hot tub, or go to a sauna or pool for at least 48 hours after the injection.
All insurance providers cover steroid injections. The chances of getting reimbursement increases if you feel no improvement after non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, exercise therapy, and lifestyle changes.
For hyaluronic acid injections, most insurances cover it in case if:
The cartilage within a joint can be damaged by excessive steroid shots. So doctors monitor the number of cortisone shots given to a person. A knee steroid injection can be given 3-4 times per 12 months. We try to avoid repeating the procedure by making the first injection as effective as possible. Only if there’s a need, the procedure can be repeated. All the details can be discussed during your follow-up visit to a doctor.
Do you have any questions about the knee joint injection treatment for hip pain we offer in NYC? Would you like to schedule an appointment with the best-rated pain management doctor Febin Melepura MD at a sports pain management clinic in New York? Please contact our office for a consultation with the pain relief specialist in Midtown Manhattan.
Febin Melepura, MD is a top rated, best in class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award winning expert and contributor to a prominent media outlets.
Dr. Febin Melepura has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain and, among other accolades, has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York”, and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for an advanced sports injury treatments.