Bursa Injections

Bursa injections into the joints reduce inflammation and pain caused by bursitis. They also help the tissues heal. At offices across Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, Commonwealth Pain and Spine’s highly skilled doctors perform image-guided injections to reduce bursitis pain. Call your nearest office today or schedule a consultation online and discover how you can find relief from long-term joint pain with bursa injections.

What are bursa injections?

Bursa injections treat bursitis, a common, painful condition where the bursae in your joints become inflamed.

The bursae are fluid-filled sacs. They cushion the joints and allow the tendons, muscles, and bones to move without friction. Bursitis develops when something irritates the bursae, most commonly through repetitive use or injuries. Fluid builds up in the bursae so that they swell, leaving less room for joint movement. This causes friction, inflammation, and pain.

Bursa injections contain a steroid medication like triamcinolone. These powerful anti-inflammatory medicines lessen inflammation and swelling to reduce pain. The drug also affects chemicals in the joint that increase pain. It also dampens nerve pain signals.

Combining steroids with an anesthetic offers immediate pain relief, giving you a break while you wait for the steroid to take effect.

Where might I need bursa injections?

Your body has 160 bursae, and bursitis can affect any of them. But joints that receive the most use are more likely to develop bursitis. The most common kinds are:

• Trochanteric (hip) bursitis
• Subacromial (shoulder) bursitis
• Olecranon (elbow) bursitis
• Hamstring bursitis
• Buttock bursitis
• Prepatellar (knee) bursitis

Bursa injections treat these and other forms of bursitis.

What happens when I have a bursa injection?

A bursa injection is a short, in-office procedure that usually takes less than 10 minutes. After cleaning the skin, your doctor uses a local anesthetic to numb the area. They inject the medicine through a needle into the inflamed bursa.

The Commonwealth Pain and Spine team uses ultrasound or fluoroscopy (moving X-ray) to view the injection sites in large joints like the hips, knees, and shoulders. This helps them to properly place the needle and avoid nerve or blood vessel damage.

If your bursa injection contains an anesthetic, you should enjoy pain relief for several hours. It then takes a few days for the steroid to begin working. The reduced symptoms can last up to a year.

Some patients benefit from permanent symptom relief with only one treatment. However, continuing with activities that irritate the bursae can cause bursitis symptoms to return. In most cases, you’ll need to wait at least three months between bursa injections because too many will damage the bursae and connective tissues.

Call Commonwealth Pain and Spine today or book an appointment online for expertly administered bursa injections.