5 Different Injections For Your Arthritis Pain

Many forms of arthritis affect your joints, causing pain and discomfort that affect your life. When you have arthritis, your main goal is to get your pain under control.

Several treatments can help, including injections. If anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy haven’t eased your symptoms, the team at Vital Orthopedics provides you with cutting-edge injections for your pain.

Dr. Robere Missirian is the orthopedic specialist at Vital Orthopedics. Dr. Missirian and his team provide you with several options for arthritis, including several types of injections.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a term used to describe hundreds of conditions that affect your joints. Each type of arthritis causes damage to the bones and tissues in your joints in a different way.

One of the most well-known types of arthritis is degenerative arthritis. Osteoarthritis is degenerative arthritis that affects the cartilage within your joint space. Over time, the protective layer of cartilage wears down, making your joint susceptible to inflammation and pain.

There are several other common types of arthritis as well, including:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Infectious arthritis
• Gout

Just about every type of arthritis causes discomfort in your joints. Other symptoms include redness, swelling, and decreased range of motion.

Just about every joint in your body can be affected by arthritis. Common joints that arthritis affects include your knees, hips, shoulders, and ankles.

Injections for your arthritis

If your arthritis pain is out of control and other conservative options haven’t helped, Dr. Missirian suggests joint injections. He evaluates your pain to determine which joint injection suits your arthritis.

There are five main types of injections Dr. Missirian uses for arthritis pain, and they include:

1. Hyaluronic acid

Dr. Missirian uses hyaluronic acid injections for arthritis pain in your knees. The injection contains a gel that’s very similar to the natural joint fluid inside of your knee. Hyaluronic acid helps lubricate your knee joint to reduce pain and inflammation.

2. Platelet-rich plasma

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is a form of regenerative medicine that uses your cells to regenerate damaged tissues in your joint. The PRP procedure is simple and only requires a blood draw.

The platelets in the injection contain revolutionary growth proteins that work in your joints, repairing years of damage from arthritis.

3. Corticosteroids

Dr. Missirian uses corticosteroids as the first line of defense against arthritis pain. Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatories that work in just about any joint in your body. These medications even help dull your pain in advanced arthritis and can delay the need for surgery.

4. Stem cells

Stem cells are cells from which all the other cells in your body are made. They can transform themselves into any cell that your body needs. Dr. Missirian uses these cells to repair tissues from the ground up in any joint suffering from arthritis.

5. Nerve blocks

If you have arthritis pain, Dr. Missirian recommends a nerve block to help you with pain. He uses these injections as a diagnostic tool to determine where your pain originates. He also uses nerve blocks as a treatment for joint pain and discomfort.

Nerve blocks combine local anesthetics and corticosteroids to help numb your pain.

Dr. Missirian thoroughly evaluates your pain to determine which injection suits you and your specific form of arthritis. In many cases, these injections reduce your pain and can put off more invasive treatments like surgery.

When you need relief from arthritis pain, don’t hesitate to call one of our conveniently located offices in Fort Myers, Hollywood, Lake Worth, or Pompano Beach, Florida, today to book an appointment. You can also request a consultation on our website.