Treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system can be classified into conservative and surgical management. Injection therapy is one of the conservative methods, which is expected to improve symptoms or disease process by delivering
effective
medications directly to the involved site. If applied properly, it can be the treatment of choice considering the low cost.
However, the natural course of the diseases varies widely, even in the same disease process. Therefore, some cases may be treated with simple rest, oral medication or other conservative measures, while others need sometimes surgery as the
treatment
of
choice, especially of advanced diseases. So, we should bear in mind that injection therapy is just one of many treatment options, which should be employed with strict indications.
Corticosteroids are the most frequently used agent for injection therapy. Many corticosteroid preparations are available for joint and soft tissue injection. Recently, the results of clinical applications with intraarticular preparations of
hyaluronic
acid have suggested some efficacy for degenerative arthritis.
To achieve better results of injection therapy, the followings are the prereguisites :
1. Accurate diagnosis
2. Precise knowledge about the disease, indications, preparations of agent, complications and anatomy of the joints
3. Skillful technique
|