alaric378Contacts in the network : Myspace (no) , Facebook (no) |
Do Joint Injections Help Relieve Arthritis? (2014-05-06)
Arthritis is a joint disorder than can affect people of all ages. There are over 100 different types of arthritis. When inflammation occurs around the joints, severe pain can occur. It can also be caused by wear and tear of the joints.
As a person loses their cartilage, the body produces more, but as a person ages, their body is losing more cartilage and not producing it fast enough. This causes pain within the joints.
Arthritis can cause many different problems such as the inability to walk or use your hands, sleep deprivation, muscle aches and difficulty moving the affected joints.
Pain management doctors in Los Angeles may recommend joint injections to help relieve pain caused by arthritis. The patients’ level of pain will determine the amount of injections that are needed. Doctors will inject a cortisone steroid, which is also known as corticosteroid.
These injections do not repair the damage, they simply help relieve the pain. It can provide patients with up to six months of pain relief, and sometimes even longer.
Are there risks?
With all types of treatments, there are risks with joint injections. In the past, studies have shown deterioration in the cartilage due to joint injections, however, it has not been fully proven. Pain management doctors in Los Angeles will know if this is the best treatment for your arthritis, and will continue to monitor the effects of the treatment.
Other side effects include thinning of the cartilage, and weakened ligaments. This can happen with repeated injections.
What are the benefits?
The main benefits of joint injections is that they are anti-inflammatories. They will provide pain relief quickly and with only slight discomfort. This can be a great relief to those who experience arthritis on a daily basis.
Other Effective Joint Injections
Other injections include hyaluronic acid injections and stem cell injections. Hyaluronic acid injections are used when painkillers have been ineffective. They are primarily used for patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Hyaluronic acid is actually produced by the body. It helps lubricate your joints to keep them working smoothly. Studies have shown that these injections could work better than painkillers and work just as well as corticosteroid knee injections.
Like other joint injections, the hyaluronic acid injections may be more effective on some patients than others. Studies have shown that they could be less effective on older adults.
Stem cell injections are used to help repair damaged parts of the body. When a part of the body is damaged such as a spinal disc, there is less blood flow, therefore, the body has difficulty restoring the area. Stem cells are able to differentiate and help restore that area. Studies are still being done to determine if stem cell injections are the best way to repair cartilage damaged by arthritis.
If you are experiencing any type of arthritis and severe discomfort, you should seek the assistance of a pain management doctor in Los Angeles. The doctors at these pain clinics can recommend the best treatment based on the type of arthritis and the amount of pain you are experiencing.
Become a fan