When are Hip Injections Helpful?

Hip pain can be disabling because it can greatly impair your mobility. Your hip joint moves every time you sit down or stand up, walk, run, or make any other move involving your torso and legs. The pain can interfere with daily activity and reduce your quality of life. 

The caring staff at Apollo Pain Management in Sun City Center, Florida, treat patients with hip pain on a daily basis. We diagnose your ailment or work with your primary care or specialist physician who has diagnosed it and has referred you to our practice. Our expert, board-certified pain management specialist determines whether an intra-articular hip injection will help you. This type of injection, guided by X-ray technology, is a steroid with an anesthetic that goes directly into the joint. 

Injections allow for interim pain relief if your condition requires further treatment such as arthroscopy or hip replacement. The injection also helps with diagnosis. If your hip pain lessens after the shot, our staff knows that your hip joint is the reason for your pain. Hip injections are helpful in reducing inflammation and pain caused by any of the following conditions.

Arthritis

Arthritis is a many-faceted condition; there are more than 100 types of arthritis. The two most common kinds are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, two of the most common causes of hip pain. Arthritic hip pain affects many older adults. The disease damages the cartilage cushioning the two bones that are the ball and socket in your hip joint. Friction between the two bones results in pain and inflammation.  

Tendonitis

Your hip pain may be caused by an inflamed or torn tendon in the hip area. A gluteal tendon tear causes pain on the outside of the hip. You could have hip flexor tendonitis, which causes pain in the inner part of the thigh. This type of tendonitis can be the result of an overuse injury if you’re an athlete who’s involved in cycling, running, kicking, rigorous spin classes, or similar activities. You have poor blood supply in your tendons, so healing takes time. 

Bursitis

If you have hip bursitis, you have inflammation in a pouch filled with fluid that acts as a cushion between the bones in your joint. You have these sacs of fluid, called bursae, beside the tendons near your hip as well as near other joints.  

Arthritis can cause bursitis. Other causes include spine abnormalities such as scoliosis. A common cause is a sports or job-related overuse injury. Examples include a job that requires a lot of hip flexing such as a warehouse job or sports that put repeated pressure on your hip such as football. Bursitis is more common in older adults. 

Muscle strain 

Hip pain can be caused by overuse of hip flexor muscles. A strain means you’ve torn one or more muscles; these injuries are grouped into three grades based on severity of injury. A severe strain can take more than six weeks to heal, so you’re looking for pain relief during that time. 

Torn labrum

A ring of protective cartilage called the labrum circles the rim of your hip socket. It prevents friction between the ball and socket and also helps hold the ball (the top of the femur bone) in place. Overuse and repetitive hip motions can cause the labrum to tear. Golf, football, and ballet are three examples of sports in which athletes are more at risk of a torn labrum. A hip abnormality or a condition like scoliosis that causes different leg lengths can also result in a torn labrum. An injection can give you pain relief; you may need arthroscopy later. 

Trauma

A fall, sports injury, motor vehicle accident or other trauma can result in hip inflammation. An intra-articular hip injection can ease the pain and inflammation and help you become more mobile even if you do need surgery in the future. 

You may be referred to our practice by your health care provider. We coordinate with you to schedule your appointment in our office. We’re your professional partner in pain management.