If you have a swollen or painful peripheral joint (such as the hip shoulder, elbow, knee, wrist, foot, and ankle) your symptoms can be relieved by injecting a steroid medication into the affected joint to help relieve pain, reduce the inflammation and improve the joint movement. Pain relief after an injection may last for several weeks to many months. The injections may be also repeated if our doctor deems them necessary, as the more long-term benefit may be obtained after subsequent injections.

Peripheral joint injections are performed as an outpatient procedure in our state-of-the-art facilities, with local anesthesia, and require no special preparation. A small needle is placed into the area using fluoroscopic guidance and confirmed with a small amount of radiographic contrast. The precise placement of the needle with imaging guidance allows our doctors at Southwest Spine & Sports in Scottsdale, AZ, to administer a small dose of steroid to the affected joint with minimal side effects.

At Southwest Spine & Sports, joint injections offer numerous benefits to our patients in Scottsdale, AZ, including:

• Quick pain relief that can last several months
• Promoting joint healing by reducing inflammation
• Helping to alleviate joint pain and stiffness
• Treatment is minimally invasive, so no surgery is involved
• Boosting range of motion and overall joint function
• No special preparation or general anesthesia is needed
• Fast treatment, taking about 15 minutes per joint
• Injections can target numerous body areas based on your needs

You may be a candidate for joint injections if:

• You have been diagnosed with arthritis
• Your disease hasn’t progressed too far

Additionally, these injections can be provided for various areas of the body, including:

• Neck
• Shoulder
• Elbow
• Wrist
• Hip
• Knee
• Ankle

Candidates for PRP therapy may be looking to effectively treat an injury or condition without the downtime associated with surgery. These can include sports or repetitive injuries. Growth factors in PRP can also be a more natural alternative to other types of treatment. Results can last for several months, and additional treatments can be provided to help maintain your outcome. During a thorough consultation at Southwest Spine & Sports, our team can evaluate your condition and determine if PRP therapy is ideal for you.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is a safe, effective and all-natural way to heal damaged joints, including shoulders, knees, hips, ankles, fingers, and more. PRP consists of a small sample of your own blood, spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets and then injected into the injured area. Medical research and intensive studies are leading the way to the tremendous benefits offered by PRP for patients suffering from low back pain, with the goal of enhancing the body’s ability to naturally heal itself. Q

You will be asked to lie nearly flat on your stomach. Under local anesthesia, using x-ray guidance, a small needle is positioned into the facet joint or along the facet joint nerves. A small injection of dye may be used to check the positioning. Medication is then injected (usually a mixture of anti-inflammatory steroids and long-acting anesthetic). Each injection takes about 15 minutes. Multiple levels on either one or both sides may be performed in the same session, depending upon your symptoms.

Facet injection is performed to help diagnose and/or treat pain related to disease or injury of the posterior joints of the spine. Injection of these joints is an accurate and definitive way to diagnose facet joint pain syndrome because certain joints may appear abnormal but not cause pain, and conversely, the problem joints may appear nearly normal.

Learn more about Joint Injections therapy with this informative brochure.

You may experience numbness and/or relief from your pain for up to six hours after the injection. This is due to the long-acting local anesthetic that was used to numb the treatment area. Because of this numbness, you may want to have someone drive you home from your appointment. While there is typically little to no downtime after a joint injection, your usual symptoms may return and feel briefly worse than usual for a day or two as the joint reacts to the steroid. Some may experience bruising and/or soreness at the injection site. The beneficial effects of the steroid injected usually require 2 – 3 days to begin, and it may take as long as a week to reach optimal effectiveness. If the injection blocked your pain effectively, but only for a short time, we may suggest additional injections or a procedure that offers more permanent relief, such as radiofrequency thermocoagulation.

Fluoroscopic Guided Steroid Injection for Knee Pain

Facet Joint Injections

Sacroiliac Joint Steroid Injection

Ultrasound-Guided Injections for Shoulder Pain