As sport medicine physicians we are often asked about various injections for difficult to manage conditions. These may be family doctor initiated or patient requested. In short, injections are often used as an addition to therapy management and may help to achieve a more rapid and successful resolution of the problem with which we are dealing.
Corticosteroid (cortisone) injections are used as a strong local anti-inflammatory directly into or around the area of concern. They are usually easy, inexpensive , safe , relatively painless and may give quick positive results. There is some discussion that they should not be given frequently due to thinning of muscles or tendons. They are most often used in resistant shoulder and elbow problems and for arthritic changes in joints - especially knees.
Hyaluronic acid (names such as Durolane , Synvisc, Orthovisc and Monovisc) is often used for arthritic joints. These are more expensive and often covered by extended health plans. Ideally these may work as long as 1 year.
PRP ( Platelet Rich Plasma ) is the relatively new comer on the block. It is derived from drawing blood from the patient, spinning the blood to separate out the required plasma then injected directly into damaged tissue. This is used primarily for torn tissues and arthritis. Stem cells have been added to this in various locations (not at our clinic) but the lack of cell differentiation at the molecular level renders stem cell inclusion relatively ineffective.
Overall injections are often useful as an adjunct to good conservative management and are a cornerstone of best patient management at Physio Sport Med. Prior to making an appointment for injections you will need to see one of our physicians for an assessment.
Corticosteroid (cortisone) injections are used as a strong local anti-inflammatory directly into or around the area of concern. They are usually easy, inexpensive , safe , relatively painless and may give quick positive results. There is some discussion that they should not be given frequently due to thinning of muscles or tendons. They are most often used in resistant shoulder and elbow problems and for arthritic changes in joints - especially knees.
Hyaluronic acid (names such as Durolane , Synvisc, Orthovisc and Monovisc) is often used for arthritic joints. These are more expensive and often covered by extended health plans. Ideally these may work as long as 1 year.
PRP ( Platelet Rich Plasma ) is the relatively new comer on the block. It is derived from drawing blood from the patient, spinning the blood to separate out the required plasma then injected directly into damaged tissue. This is used primarily for torn tissues and arthritis. Stem cells have been added to this in various locations (not at our clinic) but the lack of cell differentiation at the molecular level renders stem cell inclusion relatively ineffective.
Overall injections are often useful as an adjunct to good conservative management and are a cornerstone of best patient management at Physio Sport Med. Prior to making an appointment for injections you will need to see one of our physicians for an assessment.