Arthritis Causes

Knee Arthritis Treatment With Cortisone Injections

This article will review Cortisone Injections - a popular KneeArthritis Treatment for relieving Arthritis Knee Pain.

If untreated, Knee Arthritis or osteoarthritis will deteriorate rapidly. Under normal conditions, the knee cannot heal itself as blood is not supplied directly to knee cartilage. This is particularly true for those over 65 years old, as older bodies are less able to heal small areas of damaged cartilage without the need for corrective surgery.

Before considering Cortisone Injections or any other Knee Arthritis Treatment, you can try treat the condition with low-risk, non-invasive procedures. These include rest, ice and simple forms of physical therapy. If your Arthritis Knee Pain does not diminish, consider an arthroscopic evaluation to determine the extent of the cartilage damage. The surgeon makes a small incision in the knee through which he then inserts a viewing scope.

If the arthroscopic evaluation concludes that the cartilage has been severely damaged, consider conventional Knee Arthritis Treatments. Treatment begins with the most basic, progressing to the more complex, potentially including knee surgery which can either realign the shinbone/ thighbone (Osteotomy) or an unicompartmental or total knee replacement.

Cortisone Injections are anti-inflammatory local injections which provide massive relief from the Arthritis Knee Pain inflammation associated with tendons and surrounding bursae by reducing swelling. Moderate degrees of arthritis pain is often reduced by injecting cortisone directly into the joint. This Knee Arthritis Treatment should not be performed more than once every two to three months.

They are most useful when treating Impingement lesions (such as ITB friction syndrome of the knee or trochanteric bursitis of the hip) or where the prognosis for long-term improvement is good. A small quantity of Cortisone is used and side effects are minimal. Unfortunately, the further advanced the arthritic damage is, the less likely is Cortisone to be of benefit.

In all other situations, consider the following treatments: * Weight loss - an important but seldom performed treatment. Simply put, the less the weight to be carried, the less the pain. Weight loss alone will not completely relieve the pain. Also, it is worth noting that obesity increases the risk of knee surgery resulting in more complications in overweight people. * Anti-inflammatory pain medications (NSAIDs) to treat pain and inflammation. * Joint Supplements such as Glucosamine. These are considered to be a safe and effective treatment of knee arthritis.