Injections

Steroid and trigger point injections can reduce musculoskeletal inflammation and pain when other treatments are unsuccessful. Board-certified family medicine physician Syed-Ghazanfar Naqvi, MD, at Advanced Medicine Clinics in McKinney, Texas, uses injections to treat conditions ranging from tendon and muscle strains to arthritis. Call Dr. Naqvi’s office to find out if injections are suitable for your musculoskeletal pain, or book an appointment using the online scheduling tool.

What injections might I need?

Injections have multiple uses in primary care, from delivering immunizations to injecting antibiotics and other drugs. One area where Dr. Naqvi uses injections extensively is in treating musculoskeletal disorders. The main kinds of musculoskeletal injections are joint and trigger point injections:

Joint injections

Joint injections often contain steroid medication, a potent anti-inflammatory. Injecting steroids into a joint reduces inflammation and pain and typically has a long-lasting effect. Hyaluronic acid can also be useful as a natural lubricant in stiffened joints.

Trigger point injections

Trigger points are small knotted areas of muscle fibers and fascia — the connective tissue that covers the muscle. These spots are tender to the touch and become increasingly painful as the tissues become more knotted. Trigger points frequently cause referred pain, where pressing on them results in pain in another part of your body.

Trigger point injections reduce inflammation in the knotted fibers, helping them relax and easing pain. The injections may contain steroid medication, or you might benefit from dry needling, which just uses the needle to release the knotted fibers.

What musculoskeletal conditions can injections treat?

Steroid injections can help with sports injuries like tendon strains, overuse conditions such as bursitis and tendinitis, and disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes wrist and hand pain. Trigger point injections ease muscular discomfort and tension and eliminate referred pain.

One of the most common injection uses is treating arthritis, especially osteoarthritis. This common condition causes chronic joint pain, stiffness, weakness, and distortion that worsens over time. It develops when years of use wear down the cartilage covering the bones in your joints. Without protection, your bones rub against each other, creating inflammation.

Steroid injections reduce joint inflammation, which relieves pain. Hyaluronic acid injections lubricate the joints, reducing friction and stiffness.

Are injections a good option for me?

Most people Dr. Naqvi sees with musculoskeletal problems benefit from conservative treatments, such as rest, avoiding painful activities, anti-inflammatory medication, and physical therapy. A brace or splint can help by immobilizing a joint or taking pressure off it. After several weeks or months, many patients recover from their injuries.

However, some people’s conditions don’t improve with these approaches, or in the case of an incurable disease like arthritis, the joints continue to deteriorate. You might then benefit from an injection.

Call Advanced Medicine Clinics today to learn more about injections or book an appointment online.