The ankle joint is symmetrical on both sides of the body. They appear where the tibia meets the humerus, or the way the pedestrians represent the spine and the hip. Steroid injection of the SI joint can provide special relief.

Like any joint containing cartilage, they are susceptible to arthritis caused by aging wear. Arthritis can cause pain.

Choices for pain management include physical therapy, chiropractic, painkillers, and interventional pain treatment. This injection procedure is used to relieve pain caused by arthritis in the ankle joint where the spine and hip meet. Steroid drugs can reduce joint swelling and inflammation.

The patient lies face down, placing a cushion under the stomach to make it comfortable and arch the back. The pain physician uses touch and fluoroscope to find the ankle joint. Local anesthetics numb the skin and all tissues to the ankle surface. The doctor passes the needle through the anesthesia tract and into the ankle joint. The steroid anesthetic mixture is injected into the joint to treat the pain area. Remove the needle and cover the small surface wound with a small bandage.

Since the ankle is jagged and irregular, be sure to find a pain doctor using fluoroscopy, a real-time X-ray machine. This will ensure the best chance of injection accuracy. You don't want to accept anything from a steroid injection that is less than the best chance of success.

Basic knowledge of pain management steroid injections in the ankle was originally published on Spring