Maybe you have experienced persistent hip or back pain but are not quite sure where it is coming from. You want answers, and you want relief. At South Hills Physical Medicine and Chiropractic , we will perform an exam to determine where we think the source of pain is initiating from. A source of pain that could be occurring is from the greater trochanter bursa sac. This area is located where the bone comes up from the knee to meet the hip in the upper leg. We can inject the area with a short acting numbing medication as well as an anti-inflammatory medication to decrease the symptoms and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
A Multipronged Approach
Hip injections can be used for both therapeutic and diagnostic reasons. The numbing agent used helps to calm down the hip. We can use an anti-inflammatory medication as well to calm down the inflammation process occurring in the bursa sac. Injections are performed with patients in a side-lying positon. Ultrasound is used to locate the injection site. The area is also palpated to find the tender area prior to the injection. After the injection we will incorporate a treatment plan to help resolve the underlying problem. This can include stretching, strengthening and chiropractic manipulation.
Frequency
Injections are typically given once a week for three weeks. You sometimes may require 1-2 before you start to feel relief. The numbing agent works right away so you may have an immediate decrease in symptoms and discomfort. An anti-inflammatory medication is also used to treat the area locally to decrease inflammation. This is working differently than taking the medication orally. The medication is being placed at the site of inflammation.
Am I a Candidate?
Candidates for this type of hip injection are those with inflammation of the bursa sac, located on the greater trochanter. You may be walking around with issues that were not taken care of and that are putting extra stress on the area. That is when you are going to need to address the underlying problem. If pressure is coming from your feet or low back, we need to address the problem and correct it to prevent repetitive stress to the area.
We also will need to review medications and allergies to determine if you are a safe candidate. If you are on medications or have allergies we can discuss and work with you to find what the safest treatment is for you. Not only will we try to get you out of pain in the short term but will help you for the long term with a developed treatment plan.
If your arches need greater support because of putting stress on the hip we can refer you to get good arch supports. We will also teach you proper gait and strengthening exercises to assist with control of the injury.
You do not have to live with hip pain. We encourage you to come in and get evaluated. A multifaceted game plan will be created for you!