Arthritis pain relief shots are an alternative solution for treating the pain when oral medications are not enough to provide you relief. Arthritis pain can also be treated with the help of surgery, but if you are not ready for the same or unwilling to seek this remedy, then choosing non- surgical treatment is the next best option.

For treating arthritis, there are two common kinds of injections. One is ViscoSupplementation (hyaluronic injections), and the other is steroid injections. You need to note an essential fact that the main intention or purpose of joint injections is to decrease the pain due to arthritis. The pain is reduced so that the patient regains the ability for participating in daily activities and also physical therapy exercises. By doing so, he or she will be able to strengthen and stretch an arthritic joint with ease.

If you observe that the symptoms of arthritis like swelling, joint inflammation, redness, etc. are increasing even after going through regular medication, then you may seek the help of arthritis pain relief shots. One of the best known and effective steroid injections is Cortisone injections. It is also known as corticosteroid injections. This particular pain relief shot will minimize your joint inflammation as well as heat, swelling, redness and will ease the intolerable pain in the affected joint.

Reasons behind joint inflammation

Painful inflammation is generally caused by conditions which-

• Hamper soft tissue that is present around the joint like tendonitis and bursitis.
• Arises inside joint capsule like osteoarthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Arthritis pain relief shots like Cortisone injections will not actually treat any underlying conditions. Say, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis, as these can only be treated but cannot be cured totally. In the same manner, with the help of cortisone injection, you will be able to decrease as well as eliminate the pain from gout flare-ups. The injection will not decrease the chances of gout flare-ups in the future.

Reasons for taking the help of cortisone injection

People seek the assistance of this arthritis pain relief shot for either of the two reasons- for treating a condition and for providing information for a perfect diagnosis. Among other arthritis pain relief shots, the time taken by this injection for relieving a patient from pain and inflammation is between six weeks and six months. After this time period, the previous pain may or may not return. It entirely depends on the patient, the treated condition as well as follow-up care.

The temporary relief from pain will provide an opportunity to the arthritis patient for participating in physical therapy in order to develop the biomechanics of the affected joint. The joint becomes a bit healthier and thus the pain also becomes tolerable by the time this injection’s effect wears off. The temporary relief from such severe pain also lets the patient treat the arthritic flare-ups. If you are one among those patients who are willing to avoid or postpone surgery, then this particular shot might help you to survive with lesser pain than before.

It is true that nearly all sort of arthritis is chronic to some extent and Cortisone injection is only one part of a much larger treatment plan. It allows physicians to deliver effective medicine to the inflammation sites directly and that too with minimum side- effects. Though this pain relief shot is an essential tool to treat joint inflammation, it has certain limitations too. If you repeatedly use such arthritis pain relief shots like Cortisone injection, then it may lead to cartilage breakdown. Due to this reason, physicians generally put a limitation on the total quantity of injections that a patient can receive.

What other options are available?

Besides the above- mentioned temporary pain relief injections, hyaluronic acid supplements are beneficial in easing your pain. Though they are not common medications, such substances are injected into knee joints for supplementing naturally- occurring hyaluronic acid. This supplement plays the role of a lubricant and shock absorbent in healthy joints and it allows the joints to move smoothly with ease. But, if a person has osteoarthritis, then this acid breaks down and does not perform the job of a shock absorbent.

If this hyaluronic acid supplement is injected into joints, then the inflammation of joint and pain will lessen gradually. Such arthritis pain relief shots are injected for 3 or 5 days per week. To make space for hyaluronic acid, a little amount of fluid is removed from the affected joint at first.

Hence, if you suffer from arthritis-related pain, do not lose hope as there are definitely options available to help you manage the pain and lead a normal life as much as possible. All that is required is to follow through with the procedure as recommended by your doctor to reap the benefits.