X-Ray Guided Major Joint Injection
Helping the Residents of South Central Missouri and North Central Arkansas
Joint pain felt in the shoulders, knees, and hips is an exceedingly frequent complaint and can be caused by any number of factors. These include rheumatoid arthritis, torn ligaments or cartilage, natural wear and tear, osteoarthritis, and previous surgery. Some patients decide they do not want surgery or are not good candidates for surgical correction. Oftentimes, anti-inflammatory medication is not enough to limit the pain and it can become debilitating over time. An x-ray guided major joint injection could potentially relieve some or all of the joint pain, allowing the patient to live a healthier, more active, and happier lifestyle. If effective enough, the injection could even potentially erase the need for surgery.
Several medical conditions that are commonly treated using x-ray guided major joint injections are:
- Post-surgery pains
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Any kind of chronic joint pain
- Bursitis – caused by inflammation of bursa around joints and tendons
For more information regarding this procedure, please call Interventional Pain Management, a department of Baxter Regional, at (870) 508-5900.
The Procedure
On the day of your scheduled procedure, please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the start of your appointment. Our highly trained nurses will begin an IV if you will want sedation and then they will conduct a nurse pre-operation assessment. Shortly afterwards you will be taken to the procedure room and directed to lay down on the hospital bed. Once you are situated, the nurses will give you nitrous oxide gas and sedation in order to make you more comfortable. At this point in the procedure, we place a cold cleaning solution on all our patients to lessen the risk of infection. Then, using x-ray guidance, your skilled doctor will identify the procedure site and place a tiny needle into the affected joint. Contrast dye will be injected through the needle to confirm that the needle was properly placed. Finally, medication comprised of steroid and numbing medicine will be injected directly into the affected joint. We will then remove the needle and take you to a recovery room.
What to Expect Afterwards
There are no real limits or restrictions on what you can do following the procedure since it is minimally invasive and safe. You are encouraged to actively engage the medicated joint in order to spread the medication around the affected area. Most patients report feeling immediate pain relief and improved joint functionality but others may not feel the full effects of the medication until three to five days after the procedure. The effects of the injection can last anywhere from a couple weeks up to several months. This safe and effective procedure is repeatable for patients that need long term pain relief but the injections need to be conducted at three month intervals to avoid excessive steroid administration.