Hip Injection

Overview - What is a Hip Injection?

We often encourage patients to exhaust several conservative treatment options, including intraarticular cortisone injections, prior to being scheduled for total hip replacement surgery. Cortisone is a strong anti-inflammatory medication that, if injected into the affected joint, may provide substantial pain relief for weeks to months.

These injections are very helpful both from a therapeutic and diagnostic standpoint, as patients often have more than one source of their pain. Undergoing an intraarticular cortisone injection helps to differentiate whether the majority of a patient's symptoms are coming from within the hip joint itself or from an extraarticular source such as the back, a tendon, or another structure. If a patient has dramatic improvement in their symptoms within the first few hours after the injection, this confirms that those symptoms were originating from hip joint pathology.

The intraarticular cortisone injections are performed in Altoona and Rice Lake, with availability varying by schedule. The injections are performed using ultrasound guidance and are minimally invasive. Patients are able to drive themselves home following the procedure.

Candidacy - Who Is a Good Candidate?

A hip injection may be appropriate if you are experiencing hip pain and any of the following apply:

• Hip arthritis causing pain or limited mobility
• Hip pain that has not responded to rest, activity modification, or oral medications
• A need to confirm the hip joint as the source of symptoms before considering surgery
• A desire to explore non-surgical options before committing to a procedure
• Inflammatory hip conditions including bursitis or synovitis

What to Expect

Hip injections are performed in office and require no special preparation in most cases. The injection site is cleaned and the procedure is performed using ultrasound guidance for accurate needle placement. Most patients experience only minor discomfort and are able to drive themselves home afterward.

Diabetics should monitor blood sugars more frequently for several days after undergoing a cortisone injection, as the cortisone may temporarily increase glucose levels. Additional side effects may include insomnia, headache, dizziness, feeling warm or flush all over and soreness at the injection site. Intraarticular cortisone injections can be repeated as often as every three months.

Recovery Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions