Injection Therapy
Injection Treatment for Foot and Knee Pain
We offer various injection treatment options for foot and knee pain.
Cortisone Injection
A steroid injection, sometimes referred to as a cortisone injection, may be offered at Dr Foot Podiatry to treat pain associated with inflammation. Inflammation can occur in a number of joints and soft tissues of the ankle and foot, resulting in pain, restricted movement, and impaired function. A steroid is not a painkiller directly, instead it is a powerful anti-inflammatory. The steroids ability to reduce inflammation means that they can reduce pain that is the result of inflammation.
We also offer ostenil injections which contain hyaluronic acid, which is an ingredient that aids in the restoration of synovial joints that have been damaged by osteoarthritis; the big toe joint is a synovial joint. Synovial joints produce synovium, which is a liquid that helps to lubricate the joint allowing it to be mobile.
Steroid Injection
A reduction in inflammation and any associated pain
Less side effects than oral steroids
Steroid is given, and has it effect at the site where it is required
Steroid injections help to preserve the affected joint and preserve its function
The injection is administered quickly and easily by a podiatrist.
More effective than other anti-inflammatories
Prolotherapy
We can also offer Prolotherapy. This treatment uses local anaesthetics, mixed with other natural substances like homeopathic solutions or glucose, which are injected into problem sites. Most useful areas are knee, ankle, foot and toes.
Prolotherapy is ideal for plantar fascisits or heel pain. Prolotherapy repairs the plantar fascia by strengthening the fascia and providing support to the arch of the foot. Prolotherapy is a treatment that regenerates and strengthens the weakened structures, such as the weakened plantar fascia ligament. Instead of weakening and boosting degeneration as with cortisone, Prolotherapy injections to the weakened fascia will repair and strengthen the arch. When the fascia is injected with a Prolotherapy solution, the body’s own mechanism for healing is stimulated, causing an influx of blood and regenerative cells to the area. The plantar fascia becomes strong again, and the pain resolves.
Ostenil Osteoarthritis Injection
Hyaluronic acid (also known as sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronan) is a natural substance. It is present in the body wherever moisture is stored, acting as a lubricant between layers of tissue to stop friction.
Examples are inside the eyeball itself, the tear film, the joint cartilage, the synovial fluid in the joints, all the mucous membranes of the body, but also the basic substance of the skin which consists of up to 55% hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid functions:
Storage: it absorbs and stores moisture in enormous quantities
Lubrication
Transport medium for nutrients
Filter for inflammatory molecules
Hyaluronic acid is an essential part of synovial fluid, allowing the fluid to act as a lubricant, a shock absorber and a filter, controlling the movement of cells and large molecules within the joint. This is incredibly important in weight-bearing joints such as the ankles and knees.
Only one injection per joint is required, with pain relief often lasting for many months in around 80% of patients we treat. However, this can vary from individual to individual.
One such brand used at Dr Foot Podiatry Clinic is OSTENIL® PLUS which can decrease pain and stiffness and improve the other symptoms of osteoarthritis. Another is Durolane, a single-injection hyaluronic acid product for the treatment of pain.
Treatment Risk and Treatment
The risk of serious side effects arising from an injection with OSTENIL®PLUS products is incredibly low, though some patients have some pain and swelling for 24-48 hours after treatment which settles. It has no animal proteins in it so is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction; and is suitable for vegetarians. You will usually be advised to rest the joint from any strenuous activities for a few days.
Biotherapeutic and Homeopathic preparations
Traumeel® and Zeel® have been available worldwide for over 20 years and have been shown to be effective for musculoskeletal injuries and osteoarthritis.
Each of these products are a composite of 14 ingredients of plant and mineral origin Studies have reported that both products can potentially have an anti-inflammatory.
It has been reported that Zeel® mediated inhibition of the pathways involving the enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 and -2, and also the 5-lipoxygenase pathways which consequently reduced levels of both eicosanoids and leukotrienes which are the two classes of molecules partly responsible for arthritic pain and inflammation.
In a double-blind, randomized, saline-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of co-administered IA injections of Traumeel® and Zeel® for treatment of painful osteoarthritis of the knee reported significant pain relief compared to saline-control throughout the observation period. Treatment effect sizes were clinically relevant and the safety profile was benign. Subjects in this study received one injection per week for three consecutive weeks. The homeopathic injection group with Traumeel® and Zeel® had statically significant improvements in all parameters with no serious adverse events being reported.