It's no secret that many people fear needles. However, once they get past their initial anxiety, many patients come to our office excited about their next injection. We offer several therapeutic injections at Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine to help ease the symptoms of painful conditions such as sciatica and arthritis.
Therapeutic injections can be used on their own, or as part of an existing treatment plan. Learn more about the potential advantages of receiving therapeutic injections below.
1. Therapeutic Injections Reduce the Symptoms of Many Conditions
Like prescription medications, therapeutic injections can treat pain that stems from many conditions and symptoms, including:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Sciatica
- Facet joint syndrome
- Gout
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendinitis
- Bursitis
- Spinal stenosis
- Paresthesia
If you don't see your condition on this list, don't write off therapeutic injections just yet. These injections may also improve the symptoms of back pain, neck pain, joint pain, muscle knots, and nerve pain.
2. Therapeutic Injections Help Reduce Pain
When pain becomes unbearable, some patients find that their chiropractic care or physical therapy treatments need an extra boost. These are often patients who are hesitant to try prescription medication or undergo surgery, but realize they need something fast and effective.
There are different types of injections for pain. Here are a few that our office provides:
- Spinal epidural injections for sciatica-induced pain in the legs and lower back
- Facet joint injections for pain and inflammation relief as well as diagnostic purposes
- Trigger point injections for knots of tense muscles that are difficult to contract or relax
- Joint injections for relief from inflammatory conditions such as bursitis, gout, and arthritis
The injections you choose will depend on your conditions and how their symptoms affect your life. Some patients request more than one type of injection.
Injections reduce pain in different ways. Sometimes, they block nerve signals while other times, injections reduce pain-causing inflammation or rely on a muscle-relaxing anesthetic.
3. Therapeutic Injections Help Reduce Swelling
When people think of pain, they may picture a visible wound, however, pain often stems from swelling and inflammation inside the body, even if there's no visible physical injury. When swelling occurs, space in our bodies becomes tight, and nerves become compressed. This can result in pain, tingling, or numbness. It can even cause a loss of sensation in some areas of the body.
Therapeutic injections help reduce swelling by delivering anti-inflammatory agents directly to the affected joint or muscle. This helps decrease excess fluid and eliminate the production of pain-causing chemicals that stem from inflammation. Facet joint injections and other types of joint injections are common anti-inflammatory treatments, but epidural injections also help reduce swelling.
4. Therapeutic Injections Provide Lasting Relief
When you take a prescription medication, you may experience relief right away, but it's often short-lived. After a few hours, your pain returns, and you may also have nausea, dry mouth, or other unpleasant side effects from the medication.
That's not the case with therapeutic injections. While it's true that sometimes the results only last a few weeks, many patients experience decreased pain for months after their final visit. We've even had some reports of patients who are pain-free for more than a year after trying injections for therapeutic purposes.
You also have the option of returning for multiple injections over a period of time, such as a few weeks or months. This can help prevent pain from coming back quickly. Our medical team can help you figure out how many injections you need to enjoy little-to-no pain for as long as possible.
5. Therapeutic Injections Help Pinpoint the Source of Pain
Health care providers often use injections for pain relief, but sometimes, injections also have diagnostic benefits. Facet point injections are a trusted diagnostic tool used by many medical professionals. When the numbing medicine makes its way into the treated joint, a patient may experience immediate relief. This helps a doctor determine whether pain originates from this joint or another one, making it easier to develop an effective treatment plan.
Facet points are the small joints that sit between the vertebra in your spine. They help your spine twist and bend rather than remaining rigid. Without facet joints, it would be difficult to perform many functions, such as walking, stretching, or lifting.
When facet joints become inflamed, they can cause pain in the neck or back, and limit movement. Facet joint injections treat this pain with local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medications, so your body can return to its usual functions.
6. Therapeutic Injections Complement Other Treatments
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to therapeutic injections. Some patients treat their pain with injections after other treatments fail while others enhance the effectiveness of other treatments by combining them with therapeutic injections.
Here are some other potential treatment options for patients who receive therapeutic injections:
- Chiropractic care
- Physical therapy
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture
- MLS laser therapy
- Micro-Vas therapy
- Cryotherapy
- Heat therapy
- Spinal decompression
Sometimes, patients use injections as a last-ditch resort before requesting surgical procedures. Many of these patients find that therapeutic injections are strong enough to block pain, resulting in long-lasting relief from unpleasant symptoms.
If you are receiving other pain-management treatments or think you may in the future, let us know. We can share our records with your primary care physician and other health care providers so that you receive consistent, effective care no matter where you go.
7. Insurance May Cover Therapeutic Injections
Some pain management providers, including Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine, accept insurance plans. While coverage isn't guaranteed, your insurance provider may cover some, or all, of the cost associated with therapeutic injections. Contact your insurance company if you're unsure whether this option is available or speak to our front desk team if you need help interpreting your benefits plan.
Learn More About How Therapeutic Injections Can Benefit You
When other pain management approaches don't quite get the job done, consider therapeutic injections. Medication or other healing agents are distributed directly to the source, so you can enjoy immediate relief that lasts longer than many other nonsurgical treatments. Our injections treat a number of common ailments, from back and neck pain to issues that stem from nerve compression. We treat patients with arthritis, sciatica, disc degeneration, and other common conditions known for their painful, persistent symptoms.
Give us a call if you want more information about therapeutic injections, or fill out our convenient online form and request an appointment. Our staff practices pain management techniques at multiple offices in the New Jersey area, including locations in Jackson, Manchester, and Point Pleasant.
We perform a thorough physical exam, which may include X-rays or other imaging tools, before we administer injections. We also review notes from other doctors who have treated your pain. That way, you receive effective treatment in the areas that need it most.
We review all of your exam findings with you prior to treatment, and you have the chance to ask questions about your health history or our procedures. Let us know if you have a fear of needles so our compassionate staff can help you work through it.
It's difficult to enjoy life to the fullest when pain restricts your movement or puts you in a cranky mood. At Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine, we strive to help you live a pain-free life, whether you receive chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture therapy, laser treatments, or therapeutic injections.
Schedule a consultation today so you can make the most of your life, whether you miss swimming with your kids or taking nightly walks with your significant other.
