Injections for Knee Pain: 3 Common Types

Knee pain isn’t just one of the most common pain types. It’s also one of the most problematic. When your knee joint can’t function comfortably, you limit what you do. You sit around more and pass on activities you used to enjoy. Your world gets small — and fast.

Fortunately, finding relief could be equally quick thanks to specialized injections. As a knee pain specialist, Dr. Halina Snowball can explore your treatment options with you here at Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut. With several different injection types to offer, Dr. Snowball can pair you with the best one for your specific pain type and your mobility goals. 

Let’s take a closer look at the three knee injections Dr. Snowball commonly recommends. 

1. Viscosupplementation

In some cases, your knee pain stems from a lack of cushioning in your joint. People with osteoarthritis, for example, often develop knee pain as the cartilage that should cushion your knee wears away.

Fortunately, Dr. Snowball can help provide relief with viscosupplementation. With this kind of injection, she injects hyaluronic acid into your knee. If that sounds familiar, it’s because your body naturally makes this gel-like substance, and it’s widely used in cosmetic treatments, from dermal fillers to topical solutions. 

This treatment helps to lubricate your knee joint, alleviating your pain. 

2. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

Experts designed this specialized form of regenerative medicine to both stimulate and support healing where your body needs it. 

The process starts when Dr. Snowball takes a small sample of your blood and separates out the platelets, deriving the PRP. These platelets help to trigger healing while delivering resources — specifically, growth factors — that your body can use to generate new tissue. 

PRP gives Dr. Snowball a way to treat knee pain stemming from everything from sports injuries to fractures. 

3. Cortisone injections

If other treatments don’t work, Dr. Snowball may recommend a cortisone shot for your knee. This type of injection delivers a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation while simultaneously soothing your pain. 

Because researchers still don’t fully understand how corticosteroid impacts your cartilage long-term, Dr. Snowball generally limits the number of cortisone injections you can get in any single year. This gives you relief when you need it most while protecting your long-term joint health. 

When it comes to knee pain, you have options to explore well before surgery. To learn more about knee injections and to talk about which type might be right for your specific kind of pain, schedule an appointment with Dr. Snowball. Call our office at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.