Which Pain Relief Medication Is Right For You?
Doctors sometimes recommend steroid injections for the treatment of osteoarthritis. This is true especially for those suffering from a severe form of arthritis called osteoarthritis degenerative arthritis or OA. One reason why steroid injections may be recommended by your doctor is because of the side effects that may occur when taking steroids. These side effects include: inflammation of the skin, hair loss, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and changes in the blood pressure and heart rate. However, there are other ways of treating osteoarthritis that your doctor may not recommend such as exercise, stretching exercises and physical therapy, among others.
There are different methods by which steroid injections can be given to treat osteoarthritis. One of which is through intramuscular injection where the medication will be injected directly into the joint. Another is through subcutaneous injection where the medication will be injected into the joint through the skin. However, some doctors may choose to give you oral medications such as prednisone.
During the treatment for osteoarthritis through steroid injections, it is important that you should avoid activities that might lead to further inflammation. This includes activities that will increase the pain that you feel. Some examples of these activities include jogging, playing tennis or football, swimming, cycling or using other sports equipment like weightlifting machines. In addition, when the swelling is already present, you have to limit the movement of your joints as much as possible. The doctor will also advise you to avoid physical exertion during times when you feel pain because this may only make the condition worse.
If the doctor thinks that giving you steroids is necessary, he will then give you a single dose of either a steroid injection or a shot of corticosteroid. Steroids for Osteoarthritis can be given intravenously as well. However, there are studies that suggest that there might be certain side effects on the liver such as enlargement of the liver, kidney and pancreas. This explains why most doctors prefer to give you cortisone shots. When given in lower doses, the side effects are not that serious at all.
A common type of steroid injections for osteoarthritis are the epidural injections that are given into the carpal tunnel. The rationale behind this is that if the nerve that runs from the carpal tunnel to the hands and fingers get damaged or inflamed, it can cause severe and permanent pain relief. Epidural injections were made popular by several famous carpal tunnel doctors who have helped thousands of patients get rid of their conditions. However, there have been cases reported about side effects of epidural injections that include high blood pressure and headache.
Some doctors use higher local concentrations of steroids to achieve quicker pain relief. This is one of the ways wherein doctors aim for a faster response in order to prevent permanent damage to the patient’s health. However, there is also the question of safety related to the increased amount of steroids injected into the body. Although the risk of infection is much less compared to that of higher local concentrations, the possibility still exists that the bacteria that are usually found in the body might be introduced by way of this method. To minimize this risk, it would be best to have the epidural steroids injected into the lumbar spine instead sustanon of the carpal tunnel.
