Joint pain can be a chronic issue that has a negative impact on your day-to-day life. It makes basic activities difficult and can pose a significant challenge to daily chores. So, if you want to know how you can alleviate this pain and improve your mobility, why not focus on certain effective and commonly available solutions?
Joint pain is a common and chronic physical problem with a significant impact on your daily life. However, it can be managed with certain choices. These choices include lifestyle adjustments, physical therapy, medication, or even specialized interventions.
Two specialized intervention techniques when it comes to joint pain are Cortisone injections and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. Cortisone shots can be effective in helping you reduce the pain associated with joint conditions. Alternatively, PRP injections can offer immediate pain relief.
Thus, in this post, let’s look into some simple and specialized interventions that can improve your lifestyle by alleviating your joint pain and managing chronic conditions.
Some At-Home Remedies for Joint Pain
If you are suffering from joint pain, medical professionals will not immediately recommend advanced procedures. So, let’s first look into certain simple and conservative measures.
Rest and Modifying Activities
With joint pain, mobility can be a challenge. However, that does not immediately imply that you should stop moving. If you stop moving, it can lead to joint stiffness. So, it would be better that you focus on increasing your rest durations and avoiding activities that cause pain.
Alternatively, you should make modifications to your daily activities. These may include avoiding lifting heavy weights, high-impact activities, prolonged static postures, and so on.
Heat and Cold Therapy
Heat and cold therapy can be a great home remedy for people suffering from joint pain. It is also something that is easy to apply yourself and does not need any specialized training.
Just apply ice packs for 15-20 minutes on the affected areas to reduce the swelling and numb the pain. And then you can use heat pads or a warm bath to help relax stiff muscles.
Weight Management and Low-Impact Exercises
Excess weight puts more pressure on joints, especially on your knees and hips. Thus, losing weight can be effective in reducing the pressure on joints like the hips and knees. But what will be appropriate exercises for when you are suffering from joint pain?
Walking, swimming, and other low-impact exercises can be suitable to keep your joints flexible and strengthen surrounding muscles. Moreover, these workout routines will also help you lose additional weight and improve joint and bone health.
Over-the-Counter Medication
Over-the-counter medication can be effective for easing joint pain. Some common examples include Acetaminophen or Tylenol, which works as effective pain relief. Also, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Ibuprofen and Naproxen can ease the pain.
However, if these do not work in alleviating your joint pain, here are some specialized treatments you can look into:
Cortisone Injections for Shoulder Joins
Cortisone injections are a strong and anti-inflammatory treatment (corticosteroids) that are usually injected into a specific joint, such as the shoulder joint, to reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness.
What are cortisone injections best for? They are the most suitable for Bursitis, Arthritis, and frozen shoulder. Thus, cortisone injections for shoulder can often provide rapid relief within a few days, that last for several weeks or even up to six months.
However, cortisone injections do not work as a permanent solution. They offer temporary relief, but do not cure the underlying cause. Furthermore, there are side effects, such as potential for cartilage damage, weakened tendons, and temporary blood sugar spikes.
It is for these risks that doctors typically limit cortisone injections for shoulders to 3 or 4 times a year to prevent major damage to the joint. Also, it is recommended that you abstain from activities and fully rest for 1-2 days after the injection.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy to Alleviate Joint Pain
PRP Therapy can be discussed as a minimally invasive and regenerative treatment, and it uses the patient’s own blood to promote healing and tissue repair.
PRP or platelet replacement therapy works by drawing the blood of the patient and enhancing the platelet count in the blood. This is performed by processing the blood in a centrifuge that increases the platelet concentration. These platelets then release growth factors, leading to enhanced healing.
This form of therapy can be best suited to manage chronic pain, tendinitis, and rotator cuff tears, and it also helps manage early-to-moderate instances of osteoarthritis.
The benefits of PRP treatment include:
- It is a natural method, using your own blood, minimizing the acceptance risk of a foreign substance.
- It offers long-term healing by addressing the root cause of the joint pain, instead of just providing pain relief.
- It can also be beneficial for offering long-term pain relief, especially for soft tissue injuries.
But platelet replacement therapy also has certain drawbacks, such as:
- Results may take time to show up, often gradually showing improvements over 4 to 6 weeks.
- Multiple sessions may be required.
- Costs are generally not covered by insurance, and the procedure can be expensive.
Cortisone Injections vs. PRP Therapy: Which One is Better?
Two very effective solutions for joint pain, cortisone, and PRP, have been discussed. However, when needing the right choice for you, which one will be more suitable? Let’s have a look at the basic differences between the two treatments:
| Feature | Cortisone injection | Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy |
| Primary objective | Immediate reduction of inflammation. | Healing and regeneration of tissues |
| Relief onset time | Within days of the injection. | Can take 4 to 6 weeks. |
| Effect duration | Short-term relief (up to 6 months) | Long-term relief (may last a year) |
| Cost | Covered by insurance, and the costs are generally low. | Not covered by insurance, can be expensive. |
Table 1: Cortisone vs. PRP
The differences do not really chalk one out as clearly better than the other. It is important to note that the efficacy of either treatment will depend on the joint condition and factors that differ between individual patients. So, it is best to consult an orthopedic specialist before making the choice.
Wrapping Up
If you are suffering from joint pain, it can harm your daily activities. However, this does not imply that you have to be bedridden. You can either seek the help of conservative and homemade treatments to alleviate the pain, or go for specialized treatments.
Specialized treatments such as cortisone and PRP go into the root of your issues and offer long-term relief. However, based on your body’s needs and limitations, you should make a careful choice of treatment.
Is Joint Pain Bothering You? Here Is What You Can Do!
Joint pain is a real concern. However, treatments are also available for you! Discuss with your orthopedic specialist today, and seek out the ideal treatment and pain relief measure that is right for you!
