A new study reveals that most commonly given hip and knee steroid injections may be harmful and can cause complications:
Hip and knee is among the most common joint disorders. A frequently (thousands per day worldwide) performed treatment for osteoarthritis and other joint related pain conditions are steroid injections, but researchers have found accelerated arthritis and joint destruction can be the unintended result of this injections.
The researchers conducted a search on patients they had injected during (2018) in the hips and knees and found out that eight percent had complications, with 10 percent in the hips and four percent in the knees.
Steroid injections are often given to reduce pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis, but these injections are not safe and even make the scenario more complicated. According to the recent report, the steroid injections given to hips and knees may accelerate the progression of osteoarthritis and potentially even hasten the need for joint replacement surgeries in the long run.
In one study of more than 16,500 patients who underwent knee or hip joint replacement, half had received steroid injections in the prior two years.
Though an exact explanation for the findings is unclear, there is some evidence that steroid injections, which typically are combined with an anesthetic, can be toxic to cartilage, and more studies are needed to understand their effects and clarify their benefits and risks.
Some patients may not will to get temporary relief and they don’t want to have the chance of progressing their arthritis, and some may say they need some sort of pain relief to just live day to day. Patients may report temporary pain relief from the steroid injections, but the injections may be detrimental in the long run. Before turning to injections or other medications, patients with Knee/Hip pains first talk with a physician/Pain Management Specialist about noninvasive approaches added with some physical Exercises or walking as a part of their day.
Before finally opting for Total knee Replacement(TKR) Surgery, the safer options available at Advanced Spine and Knee Hospital are Genicular Nerve Block, Ozone Injections, PRP(Platelet Rich Plasma), CRS(Cytokine Rich Serum) and Coolief RF Ablation. We use only Advanced technologies and safest methods of treatment for our patients.