Knee Joint Gel Injections: Get Relief from Arthritis Knee Pain for Months or More!

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Missing out on life because of painful knees is frustrating. 

Getting months of pain relief after a few out-patient injections can be reinvigorating. 

How cushioning in knee joints breaks down.

Normal, healthy knees contain a gel-like substance called hyaluronan. 

Hyaluronan acts as a lubricant for cartilage, the tissue covering the ends of bones, providing joint cushioning or shock absorption. 

But in joints affected by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout (a complex form of inflammatory arthritis), the chemicals that make up hyaluronic acid break down, and levels of hyaluronic acid decrease.

With less and less lubricant, the cartilage wears out, and knee bones rub together, causing stiffness, inflammation, and pain. 

Knee Joint Gel Injections 

Your pain physician can replace that gel-like substance in your knee joint.

It’s that simple.

The Procedure

Depending on the state of your knee joint, your doctor or pain specialist will either administer a single injection once or one injection weekly for three to five weeks. 

During the procedure, if the joint space in your knee is swollen with excess fluid, the doctor will first inject a local anesthetic to numb the area, then inject another needle for draining the fluid. 

She may use ultrasound or X-Ray to guide a needle into the joint and then inject the hyaluronic acid. 

How Quickly Does Relief Come? 

You may feel pain relief immediately or require several or more injections. 

And unlike steroid injections, the procedure can be repeated as many times as needed. 

You can return to regular activity within 24 hours of the injection. 

Most patients experience decreased pain and stiffness and improved range of motion soon after the injection. 

How long does it last?

Though individual responses vary, people can experience relief for months or even a year or more. 

In addition to pain relief, these injections can slow the progress of osteoarthritis, which causes the breakdown of cartilage. 

Who Is A Good Candidate?

Pain specialists typically recommend hyaluronic acid injection after experiencing little or no relief from conventional treatments, such as:

  • physical therapy
  • non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication
  • corticosteroid injections
  • ice or cold therapy

Also, some people cannot take more corticosteroids due to the health risks associated with repeated use or can’t tolerate NSAIDs due to disease and drug interactions. 

Knee Pain Relief at Texas Pain Physicians (TPP)

To learn more about how a pain management doctor can help you overcome your knee pain issues, visit the pain specialists at TPP. 

We help people like you every day. 

Get the discussion started by calling (972) 636-5727 or schedule an appointment online.

7 Ways to Decrease Your Winter Arthritis Pain

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It isn’t a myth. 

During the winter, the number of people who seek treatment for arthritis surges.

And cold temperatures are to blame. 

How colder temperatures bring more arthritis pain:

By Increasing Pain Sensitivity 

In colder temperatures, the body’s pain receptors become more sensitive. 

By Slowing Circulation

When temperatures are mild, the fluid circulating throughout our joints keeps them well-lubricated.

They can operate smoothly and pain-free or with less pain. 

But as it gets colder, the fluid thickens and doesn’t circulate as well.

It’s like driving a car on motor oil manufactured for optimal performance during the spring and summer — it’s hard on engine parts in the winter. 

By Making Tissue Swell 

Barometric pressure is the denseness or weight of the air. 

When winter hits, the air gets heavier, putting more pressure on the body’s tissues. 

The tissues swell and cause added tension between joints.

Seven ways you can decrease winter arthritis pain:

1. Exercise

People tend to get less exercise in the winter. 

But exercise increases your heart rate and increases circulation, which is good for your joints. 

Swimming, stationary biking, elliptical training, and other low-impact exercises can help decrease joint pain.

2. Drink Enough Water

It’s easy to forget to drink enough in the winter because you don’t sweat. 

In addition to the many adverse health effects, research suggests dehydration can make you more sensitive to pain.

3. Use Heat Therapy 

Try to get your hands (And the rest of you!) on all things heated in the winter. 

Heated packs, electric blankets, saunas, hot tubs, heated pools – it’s all soothing for the joints.

4. Take Vitamin D 

The sun is the body’s natural source of vitamin D, and people tend to get less sun exposure in the winter.

Vitamin D deficiency increases your risk for osteoarthritis and might increase sensitivity to arthritis pain.

5. Get Enough Omega 3s

Eating enough fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon and taking omega 3 supplements may decrease joint inflammation.

6. Take OTC Pain Medicine

Sometimes you need to knock out a pain flare-up.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen can provide temporary relief. 

7. Enjoy A Massage

They’re relaxing, and they feel great. 

A natural alternative to drug and clinical treatments, massage can decrease arthritis pain when maintained for months. 

Get Treatment for Winter Arthritis Pain at Texas Pain Physicians

Being armed with ways to lessen your arthritis pain during the winter season can help a lot! 

But if you continue to experience pain and discomfort that interferes with your life, it may be time to see a pain specialist. 

Our doctors can give you treatments and lifestyle strategies to relieve your arthritis pain. 

Call Us Today!

To find out more, give us a call at (972) 636-5727 or reserve an appointment online.

Facet Block Injections and Nerve Block Injections for Long-Term Pain Relief

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You may be living with pain from an injury, disorder, or disease. 

Good and bad days come and go.

But even when the pain goes away, you can count on it to return –  month after month, year after year.

You could spend a lot of time trying DYI and non-traditional therapies and treatments until you start finding relief. 

Or you could visit a pain management doctor. 

Pain Management Injections

Pain management doctors or pain specialists are trained to diagnose chronic pain conditions and apply the most effective minimally-invasive pain relief procedures.

Steroid injection is one of their simplest methods for relieving muscle, joint, and nerve pain.

Two of the most common injections are nerve block and facet joint injections.

The type that pain specialists choose depends on the location and source of your pain.

The Benefits of Pain Management Injections

  • safe and effective 
  • minimally invasive (non-surgical)
  • long-term pain relief (up to several months or longer)

Facet Joint Injections

The facet joints connect the spine’s bones and are found in the neck, chest, and back at each vertebral level. 

Pain specialists use facet joint injections (also known as facet blocks) to discover the source of your pain or treat pain by reducing inflammation in the spine’s joints.

What Facet Joint Injections Treat:

  • back pain due to injury 
  • arthritis damage in facet joints 
  • stress on the spine

Nerve Block Injections

Unlike facet blocks, nerve block injections can help pain specialists identify the source of nerve pain in the legs and feet or treat nerve pain in the head. 

 What Nerve Blocks Treat:

  • A lumbar sympathetic block can treat nerve pain symptoms in the feet and legs.
  • An occipital nerve block can treat nerve pain in the scalp and back of the head. 

Injection Procedures 

For a nerve block or facet joint injection procedure, a doctor or nurse administers two injections (a local anesthetic and steroid) into the designated area.  

Within minutes of the anesthetic injection, you may notice significant pain relief. 

Facet blocks and nerve blocks pain-relief injections are safe and highly unlikely to cause complications compared to surgical alternatives.

Get Long-Term Pain Relief in Texas

Are you tired of taking pain medication every day to keep up with your chronic pain? 

We can give you relief that lasts for weeks or months. 

To find out how pain management injections may help you, give Texas Pain Physicians a call at (972) 636-5727 or book your appointment online.

7 Common Arthritis Myths Debunked

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According to the CDC, over 23% of adults have arthritis.

Like other common diseases and health conditions, there’s a lot of misconceptions about it. 

Let’s look at seven of the most common arthritis myths and zero in on the facts.

1. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. 

Studies comparing the incidence of hand arthritis in habitual knuckle-crackers and non-knuckle crackers show that the habit likely doesn’t cause arthritis. 

But you may want to stop cracking your knuckles anyhow because studies show that habitual knuckle cracking can lead to lost grip strength and injuries. 

2. Arthritis isn’t preventable. 

Both your parents having arthritis is not a guarantee that you will. Though your genetic makeup does increase or decrease your chances, lifestyle choices factor in, too. 

Consistently high stress levels, excess body weight, and bad habits like smoking increase your risk of developing arthritis.  

3. Only older people get arthritis. 

Though the risk of arthritis increases sharply after age forty-five, younger adults and children can develop the disease, too. Injuries, especially repeated injuries, increase the risk of arthritis at all ages.

For instance, when someone suffers repeated knee injuries, the cartilage which pads the knee joint wears down, leading to osteoarthritis. 

4. Exercise makes arthritis worse. 

The myth is that exercise wears out the joints and increases the risk of arthritis.

The truth is that exercise can reduce arthritis pain and slow its progression. Safe, productive exercise builds up the muscles around the joints and increases flexibility and range of motion. 

5. Certain diets can ease arthritis symptoms.

This is only true for people who have celiac disease, lactose intolerance, or both. Otherwise, there is no scientific evidence that any diet improves arthritis symptoms. 

6. Joint pain means arthritis. 

If you have joint pain, you may have arthritis, and you may not. Other common conditions, such as bursitis, tendonitis, or soft-tissue injuries, may be causing the pain.  

These conditions and injuries cause swelling and pain in the structures around the joints, mimicking joint pain caused by arthritis. 

7. Joint replacement surgery is the only effective arthritis treatment. 

Many people with arthritis don’t ever need joint replacement surgery.

Yes, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are progressive diseases. But treatment can effectively reduce or eliminate pain and slow degeneration, especially treatment in the early stages.

Arthritis Pain Treatment at Texas Pain Physicians

If you are in pain from arthritis or think you may have arthritis, we can help. Our board-certified pain specialists treat the full spectrum of arthritis pain with well-established and advanced interventional pain treatments. 

Please give us a call or book your appointment online.