What is the Best Injection for Joint Pain?

The answer could be viscosupplementation and here’s why…

Many are trying to stay out of the surgery room while maintaining the most natural state of the joint. Those who have explored these alternatives have most likely landed on joint injections. But, not all joint injections are created equal. Steroids help reduce pain and inflammation, but do not treat the cause of the issue. They are a great first line of defense, but they simply help make life more bearable as the cartilage breaks down. Other injections like Synvisc or other thicker gels are often administered in lower series of treatments and are dense gels that can help provide cushion for a short period of time, but are a much more foreign feeling substance for your body to react to. These do not mirror the body’s natural synovial fluid close enough to help stimulate regeneration. Viscosupplementation is called just that because it mimics the viscosity of your body’s naturally occurring synovial fluid, that gets depleted over your lifetime.

The viscosupplementation treatments offered at Essence Med Joint Injection Clinic in Council Bluffs are focused on long term results by leveraging medical advancements to optimize the results. It involves injecting that natural gel-like fluid into your knee joint via a precise process utilizing a fluoroscope, a live video x-ray device. Because this gel is much like the naturally occurring hyaluronic acid found in the synovial fluid that normally surrounds your joints, it is important to have exact placement into the space it once was. Joint injections that are done without this technology are not getting to the exact location necessary for treatment.

The Hyaluronan in the injections acts like a shock absorber and lubricant. This lubricant can help make painful joints move more smoothly, reducing discomfort and helping improve function. It has been shown after a series of five or more injections, this type of injection can stimulate the natural production of fluid in the body. With proper bracing, allowing space for the injection to settle, the program is further optimized for successful outcomes.

Read on to learn if this is a treatment you should talk to us about trying.

“HA is a cushion or a buffer against inflammatory cells in the joint,” Caitlin Carlson, NP, says. “In some cases, it can stimulate the knee to start producing more natural HA.” Some physicians also believe that HA helps reduce pain by coating nerve endings within the joint.

A single treatment program, which may consist of up to five injections, usually offers relief for five to six months, but sometimes up to one year or longer and have seen greater success by building on eachother. However, pain and stiffness will return as the fluid breaks down and gets metabolized by the body. It should be done on a very specific schedule within a period of a few weeks and more than one injection is usually required to improve efficacy of the medication. Most insurance companies approve viscosupplementation injections every six months.

Essence Med, Council Bluffs’ Premier Joint Injection Clinic, offers a risk-free consultation. If you have not had a total knee or shoulder replacement and are suffering from osteoarthritis pain or stiffness, you could be a prime candidate for viscosupplementation.thi