Infiltration involves the application of an injection of corticosteroids, anesthetics or hyaluronic acid to treat injuries, inflammations or pains, this procedure is performed, in most cases, in joints such as stem, spine, hip, shoulder, cake, although it can also be hit in muscles or tendons.
The purpose of infiltration is to treat the disease in the area where inflammation occurs, especially in the most severe cases, when found in the hub with other treatments in topical tablets or tablets, even if they are used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, in addition to also helping to cure tendinitis, epicondilites or bruises produced by the practice of sport Like what. The person designated to perform the infiltrations is the doctor.
- Although it can occur in different places in the body.
- Such as muscles and tendons.
- Infiltrations within the joints in the most common areas.
- These can be hacked with different types of medications.
- Which are provided by the doctor depending on the main goal.
- Which may be to reduce pain.
- Reduce inflammation or increase synovial fluid.
- Which is a liquid that acts as a kind of lubricant in the joints.
In this way, in addition to alleviating pain, infiltrations are useful to combat the progression of joint wear, reduce inflammation and improve joint function, allowing a better quality of life.
Some medications that can be used for infiltrations are
Anesthetics should only be applied in cases of severe or chronic pain, usually promoting pain relief after application. It is also due to immediate effect and anesthetics can only be used to confirm that the source of pain is right inside the joint, to define the best treatment and schedule surgeries, for example.
Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs and can be applied with an anesthetic to combat pain and inflammation in a joint. Corticosteroid infiltration should be performed every 3 months. Excessive applications are not recommended in the same place, as it is possible to increase the risk of side effects and be harmful.
Some of the main corticosteroids used in joint infiltration include methylprednisolone, triamcinolone, betamethasone or dexamethasone, for example, and its effect on the joint lasts from a few days to several weeks.
Hyaluronic acid is a component of synovial fluid, which is the natural lubricant that exists in the joints, even in degenerative diseases, such as osteoarthritis, which can be a loss of this lubrication, which is responsible for its great release of symptoms.
In these cases, your doctor may inject this hyaluronic acid into the joint, using a technique called viscosupplementation, which is able to create a protective film behind the progression of wear and pain relief.
Treatment usually consists of 1 application per week, for 3 to 5 weeks, even though its effect on the sea is immediate, starting gradually approximately 48 hours after the intervention, its results are much longer lasting, which can remain several months.
The infiltration procedure is relatively simple, but should only be performed by an experienced doctor in the doctor’s office if it is necessary to disinfect the skin and use sterile material.
Initially local anesthesia is applied and then the drug is applied, which can be hacked by ultrasound examination or x-ray to determine the exact location. The complete joint infiltration procedure lasts 2 to 5 minutes and also causes a little pain, is accessible.
After the procedure, full recovery should take 1 to 2 weeks, if you want to exercise before entering the first week, if it was difficult to walk without a limping, your doctor might suggest using crutches so as not to damage the spine. or the other knee.
In addition, after infiltration, the person should preferably continue to practice physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and bodybuilding to strengthen the muscles, improve the movement of the affected joints, decrease pain, increase elasticity and decrease the progression of osteoarthritis, avoiding the installation of a prosthesis.
After the injection is applied to the joints, it is because there is some inflammation and pain, so it is recommended to rest to let the medicine work. The risk of infection also exists, but it is very low.
This procedure should be avoided in people who use blood-thinning medications, who have diseases that prevent blood clotting so that there is no risk of bleeding, or who become pregnant and breastfeeding women. It should also not be performed in allergic people with an infection in the In addition, it should be used with caution in athletes, as corticosteroids and anesthetics can be detected in blood tests and on the list of prohibited medications.