Ultrasound Guided Injections
Our consultants may recommend you have an ultrasound guided injection to relieve acute or chronic pain relating to your joints or tendons.
Ultrasound Guided Injections
Our consultants may recommend you have an ultrasound guided injection to relieve acute or chronic pain relating to your joints or tendons.
What is an ultrasound guided injection?
Your consultant has recommended that you have an ultrasound guided injection to relieve acute or chronic pain relating to your joints or tendons. Having an injection administered under ultrasound guidance enables the area of pain to be targeted more accurately. Your injection will usually contain a combination of local anaesthetic and a small dose of steroid.
The procedure
The radiologist will first perform a diagnostic scan to determine the exact location and the extent of the abnormality. Following your consent, the radiologist will clean the area overlying the site injection and, with the aid of an ultrasound probe, a small needle will be injected into the site; in the case of tendons, into the sheath around the tendon. The radiologist will normally use a mixture of local anaesthetic and steroid.
After the procedure
The area that has been injected will feel numb for a few hours after the procedure. This is due to the effect of the local anaesthetic. Once the local anaesthetic has worn off there may be some tenderness at the site of injection. The area can become more painful the day after the procedure when the anaesthetic has worn off. This can be caused by irritation from the steroid solution before the anti-inflammatory effects starts to occur. This is normal and will usually resolve over the next 24 hours.
Painkillers such as paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ie Ibuprofen may help.
What is an ultrasound guided injection?
Your consultant has recommended that you have an ultrasound guided injection to relieve acute or chronic pain relating to your joints or tendons. Having an injection administered under ultrasound guidance enables the area of pain to be targeted more accurately. Your injection will usually contain a combination of local anaesthetic and a small dose of steroid.
The procedure
The radiologist will first perform a diagnostic scan to determine the exact location and the extent of the abnormality. Following your consent, the radiologist will clean the area overlying the site injection and, with the aid of an ultrasound probe, a small needle will be injected into the site; in the case of tendons, into the sheath around the tendon. The radiologist will normally use a mixture of local anaesthetic and steroid.
After the procedure
The area that has been injected will feel numb for a few hours after the procedure. This is due to the effect of the local anaesthetic. Once the local anaesthetic has worn off there may be some tenderness at the site of injection. The area can become more painful the day after the procedure when the anaesthetic has worn off. This can be caused by irritation from the steroid solution before the anti-inflammatory effects starts to occur. This is normal and will usually resolve over the next 24 hours.
Painkillers such as paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ie Ibuprofen may help.