About a quarter of American adults have a diagnosis of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of the disease, and it can cause significant pain in the affected joints.
At the Osteopathic Center for Healing in Rockville, Maryland, Neil Spiegel, DO, and Jennifer Gularson, PA-C, work to help each of our patients enjoy an optimal level of health. If you have arthritis, that includes finding ways to manage your pain.
Given the side effects and risk of addiction with many pharmaceutical pain relievers, we often advise patients to try perineural injection therapy, which is safe and effective for most people.
Osteoarthritis is sometimes called wear-and-tear arthritis, because it develops over time, as the cartilage in your joints becomes thinner, more brittle, and worn. Cartilage cushions your joints and allows the bones to move smoothly against each other. As it wears thin, the result is pain, swelling, and loss of mobility.
There’s no cure for osteoarthritis, though some treatments may help to slow it down. In some cases, your joints may become so damaged that joint replacement surgery is a good option.
Osteoarthritis is the most frequently diagnosed type of arthritis, but there are many others. All the different types of arthritis share a symptom, and that’s joint pain.
At the Osteopathic Center for Healing, we embrace numerous modalities, including functional medicine, regenerative medicine, and acupuncture, among others. Our goal is to help you reach a high quality of life and optimal health. Those are difficult when you’re in pain.
Although we use many conventional approaches in our practice, we seek to avoid treatments that may cause harm or that have problematic side effects. Opioids, for example, carry the risk of addiction, and many people experience uncomfortable side effects.
Perineural injections offer a safe method of pain relief and are effective in 85% of people.
You may be wondering what, exactly, a perineural injection consists of. The injection is a mixture of dextrose (sugar) and water, so it contains nothing toxic or dangerous.
We inject it just below the surface of your skin, near tiny nerves that are inflamed and sending pain signals. The dextrose solution disrupts the nerves and prevents them from sending the pain signals.
Each treatment consists of a series of injections along the inflamed nerve. The needles are very small, and the injection is very shallow, so at most, you feel just a pinprick sensation.
You’ll most likely feel immediate relief after your first set of injections, but it won’t last very long. Most people need a series of treatments over the course of several weeks to reach optimal results.
If you’d like to learn more about your options for managing arthritis pain, schedule an appointment at Osteopathic Center for Healing. We’re always happy to discuss your individual situation and recommend treatments tailored to your circumstances and needs.
