Injection Therapy for Shoulder or Elbow

To help control your pain, your doctor can inject medication directly into the affected area instead of prescribing pills. These injections can ease pain and inflammation and improve joint movement. We at YourOrthoSolution are focused on using the most effective treatments to relieve your pain.

Injections are not a cure, but they can help you get through a period of intense pain. Injections can be a good treatment option when your only other choice is surgery. Injections may also form an important part of your treatment plan when you are not considered an appropriate candidate for surgery. Injections can relieve pain in the shoulder or elbow that result from acute injuries, overuse injuries, and chronic conditions, such as arthritis.

YourOrthoSolution has some of the top orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians in the country. Our caring team always goes that extra step to make you feel like part of our family. We are dedicated to getting you back to the things you love through a customized plan that fits only you. Your physician at YourOrthoSolution will customize a treatment plan that will work best for you as an individual to facilitate a fast recovery.

Soft Tissue Injections

Injections of corticosteroid medication can be used to treat some problems in the shoulder or elbow, including cubital tunnel syndrome, arthritis, and tendonitis. You have more than 150 bursae — which are small, fluid-filled sacs — in your body that cushion the pressure points between your bones and the tendons and muscles near your joints. When a bursa becomes inflamed, known as bursitis, movement or pressure on the affected joint can be painful. Bursitis is very common in the shoulder and elbow and can result from overuse of the joint for work or play. Medication can be injected into a bursa to reduce the inflammation and pain caused by bursitis. Bursitis of the shoulder, also known as shoulder impingement syndrome, occurs in the bursa located between the humerus (arm bone) and the shoulder blade. To treat bursitis, the medication is injected directly into the affected bursa using a thin needle.

Trigger Point Injections

Trigger points are small areas in muscle that are very painful when touched. The muscle around the trigger point is generally in spasm, causing it to be tight and often feel like a “knot” in the muscle. Inflammation and tightness in the area produces pain and stiffness. During trigger point injections, a local anesthetic medication is injected through a thin needle into the point of severe pain. A corticosteroid medication may be injected at the same time, especially if inflammation is prominent. The ultimate goals are to reduce pain and to relax the muscle, which should facilitate stretching and help improve flexibility and range of motion.

Nerve Block Injections

A nerve block prevents pain messages from traveling along a nerve pathway to reach your brain. Nerve blocks with local anesthetic are often used to relieve pain for a short period, such as during surgery. A suprascapular nerve block can relieve pain in the shoulder, while an elbow block can accomplish the same in the elbow joint. The suprascapular nerve block targets the nerve by the same name, which originates from the cervical spine and innervates the shoulder joint. The elbow block will usually target the ulnar or radial nerve above the elbow. If there is inflammation around a nerve, an injection of corticosteroid medication in conjunction with the local anesthetic can provide longer relief. These nerve blocks can be administered using ultrasound to guide the procedure, but this is not always necessary.

At YourOrthoSolution, we have extensive experience in injection therapy and will customize your entire treatment and rehabilitation process to get you on the path to recovery.

All of our doctors and staff at YourOrthoSolution are committed to ensuring that you not only receive the best orthopedic care in the area, but also have an exceptional experience each time you visit our locations. Our dedicated staff will handle all insurance processes for you. You can expect to be in a friendly atmosphere and receive top orthopedic treatment to help you return to your usual activities as quickly as possible.