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What is a Knee Injection
Knee injection is a procedure to get medicine into your knee joint to relieve the pain, swelling, and stiffness of arthritis. Your health care provider uses a needle to inject medicine, which may also help to lubricate and cushion your knee joint. You may need more than one injection.
Tell a health care provider about:
- Any allergies you have.
- All medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbs, eye drops, creams, and over-the-counter medicines.
- Any problems you or family members have had with anesthetic medicines.
- Any blood disorders you have.
- Any surgeries you have had.
- Any medical conditions you have.
- Whether you are pregnant or may be pregnant.
What are the risks?
Generally, this is a safe procedure. However, problems may occur, including:
- Infection.
- Bleeding.
- Symptoms that get worse.
- Damage to the area around your knee.
- Allergic reaction to any of the medicines.
- Skin reactions from repeated injections.
What happens before the procedure?
- Ask your health care provider about changing or stopping your regular medicines. This is especially important if you are taking diabetes medicines or blood thinners.
- Plan to have someone take you home from the hospital or clinic.
What happens during the procedure?
- You will sit or lie down in a position for your knee to be treated.
- The skin over your kneecap will be cleaned with a germ-killing soap.
- You will be given a medicine that numbs the area (local anesthetic). You may feel some stinging.
- The medicine will be injected into your knee. The needle is carefully placed between your kneecap and your knee. The medicine is injected into the joint space.
- The needle will be removed at the end of the procedure.
- A bandage (dressing) may be placed over the injection site.
The procedure may vary among health care providers and hospitals.
What can I expect after the procedure?
- Your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood oxygen level will be monitored until you leave the hospital or clinic.
- You may have to move your knee through its full range of motion. This helps to get all the medicine into your joint space.
- You will be watched to make sure that you do not have a reaction to the injected medicine.
- You may feel more pain, swelling, and warmth than you did before the injection. This reaction may last about 1–2 days.
Follow these instructions at home:
Medicines
- Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your doctor.
- Do not drive or use heavy machinery while taking prescription pain medicine.
- Do not take medicines such as aspirin and ibuprofen unless your health care provider tells you to take them.
Injection site care
- Follow instructions from your health care provider about:
- How to take care of your puncture site.
- When and how you should change your dressing.
- When you should remove your dressing.
- Check your injection area every day for signs of infection.
Check for:
- More redness, swelling, or pain after 2 days.
- Fluid or blood.
- Pus or a bad smell.
- Warmth.
Managing pain, stiffness, and swelling
- If directed, put ice on the injection area:
- Put ice in a plastic bag.
- Place a towel between your skin and the bag.
- Leave the ice on for 20 minutes, 2–3 times per day.
- Do not apply heat to your knee.
- Raise (elevate) the injection area above the level of your heart while you are sitting or lying down.
General instructions
- If you were given a dressing, keep it dry until your health care provider says it can be removed. Ask your health care provider when you can start showering or taking a bath.
- Avoid strenuous activities for as long as directed by your health care provider. Ask your health care provider when you can return to your normal activities.
- Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important. You may need more injections.
Contact a health care provider if you have:
- A fever.
- Warmth in your injection area.
- Fluid, blood, or pus coming from your injection site.
- Symptoms at your injection site that last longer than 2 days after your procedure.
Get help right away if:
- Your knee:
- Turns very red.
- Becomes very swollen.
- Is in severe pain.
Summary
- A knee injection is a procedure to get medicine into your knee joint to relieve the pain, swelling, and stiffness of arthritis.
- A needle is carefully placed between your kneecap and your knee to inject medicine into the joint space.
- Before the procedure, ask your health care provider about changing or stopping your regular medicines, especially if you are taking diabetes medicines or blood thinners.
- Contact your health care provider if you have any problems or questions after your procedure.