Joint pain can have a huge impact on your quality of life, and managing this chronic condition can feel overwhelming at times. You may need to take regular medication or find yourself unable to do the activities you love anymore.
So what if we told you that you could target and relieve joint pain for months at a time in less than ten minutes? This is where bursa injections can help!
This minimally invasive procedure provides effective, low-risk pain relief. So you don’t have to worry about the side effects of bursa injections.
Want to know more? Then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to find out everything you need to know about bursa injections in San Marcos and where to find them!
What Are Bursa Injections?
The bursae in your body are an essential part of your joints. These are tiny sacs filled with fluid that sit between soft tissue and bone structures throughout your body.
They help to minimize friction in your joints and absorb the shock of strenuous activity. This prevents inflammation and protects your joints. However, repetitive movements and overuse can inflame the bursae in your body.
When this happens, using the affected joints will become very painful indeed. Bursitis inflammation is especially common in the hip and shoulder joints.
Bursa injections allow doctors to target the affected bursae in your joints. This involves injecting inflamed bursae with steroids and local anesthetic. This helps to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
Benefits of Bursa Injections
Bursa injections are a popular way of relieving joint pain for patients in America. This is because the procedure:
- Is minimally invasive
- Offers pain relief that can last for up to a year
- Comes with minimal, short-term side effects
- Doesn’t require a long recovery period
So what exactly does this procedure involve? Let’s take a closer look.
Getting Bursa Injections
Before getting bursa injections, you will have a consultation with trained professionals. They will ask about:
- Which joints are affected
- How long you have had symptoms for
- Your medical history and any pre-existing health conditions
- Whether you have had any bursa injections before and when these procedures took place
This helps them choose the correct dose for their injections and plan any aftercare they might need. Then you can get booked in for your procedure!
On the day of your injection, you’ll come into the clinic. Your healthcare provider will clean the injection site and apply a local anesthetic to the skin.
Then they will insert the needle through your skin into the bursa sac. This can be a little bit uncomfortable or it may feel like there is pressure in your joint. This will subside once the procedure is complete.
Sometimes your healthcare provider will use an ultrasound to view the inside of your joint during the procedure. This will help them guide the needle through your joint.
The whole procedure usually takes less than 10 minutes and you’ll be able to go home on the same day.
You can get injections to target multiple different bursae on the same day. In that case, your healthcare provider will use a new needle and repeat the steps for each injection.
Recovering From Bursa Injections
Fortunately, bursa injections offer a short recovery window so you will be able to return to normal activities quickly.
The local anesthetic will continue providing pain relief for a few hours after your procedure. You may notice some pain setting in as this starts to wear off. However, you don’t need to panic; this is completely normal.
Steroid injections can cause temporary swelling and take a few days to start working. You can treat any pain or discomfort using over-the-counter pain medication and anti-inflammatory drugs. Make sure that you only use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories during this time.
Ice packs can also provide effective pain relief and reduce swelling after your procedure.
While recovering, you should avoid putting any stress on the affected joint for at least 24 hours. This includes any heavy lifting or exercise.
You should also avoid submerging the treatment site for at least two days. This reduces the risk of infection. It is safe to have a shower but you should avoid taking baths or going swimming immediately after having your treatment.
What Are the Side Effects of Bursa Injections?
Getting bursa injections isn’t just a simple procedure. It also comes with minimal risks and side effects.
The side effects you experience may vary depending on the joint that you are targeting. These can include:
- Headaches
- Mild fevers
- Skin discoloration or dimpling
- Bruising or swelling at the injection site
- Mild discomfort shortly after the procedure
These side effects should subside within a day or two of the procedure.
There is also a slight risk of infection at the injection site. This can cause pain, itching, redness, or swelling that does not subside around the injection site itself. If you do experience any of these symptoms, you should speak to your doctor.
Steroid injections can also raise your blood sugar levels and blood pressure. These should normalize within one or two days.
If you have a pre-existing condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, you should discuss this before your procedure. You may need to increase your medication following the procedure or monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar levels more closely for a few days.
How Effective Are Bursa Injections?
Bursa injections are a fantastic way to target joint pain and inflammation. However, their effectiveness depends a little on how inflamed your joints are.
People with mild inflammation will enjoy permanent symptom relief after their first treatment. Others may require multiple injections to relieve their symptoms entirely.
The effects of a single bursa injection can last for up to one year. However, if you continue irritating the joint, through exercise, for example, your symptoms will return faster.
Generally, you need to wait for at least three months between bursa injections. This will prevent damage to the surrounding bursae or connective tissue.
Find Out More About Bursa Injections in San Marcos Today
When it comes to handling joint pain, you no longer have to rely on pain relief medication. Bursa injections effectively target the bursae within your joints to reduce inflammation.
These procedures are quick and provide long-lasting relief from joint pain. The side effects of bursa injections are also minimal so you can get back to enjoying life in no time at all!
Want to find out more about getting bursa injections in San Marcos? Then book a consultation with one of our local pain institutes today. We’re happy to help.
