Is Ultrasound-Guided Injection Right for Your Hip Pain?

If you’re suffering from hip pain, you know how much it affects your everyday life. Even activities like walking, sitting down, and getting in and out of the car become difficult and painful.

If conservative treatments such as physical therapy, rest, and oral medications haven’t been effective, an ultrasound-guided injection may be right for your hip pain.

Our team at Carolina Joint and Arthritis is highly experienced at this treatment. Here’s what you need to know.

What is an ultrasound-guided injection?

An ultrasound-guided injection uses real-time imaging created by high-frequency sound waves to guide the injection of medication  into a targeted area of your hip. The medication is usually a corticosteroid, which is known to fight inflammation.

With a normal injection, your provider is relying on anatomical landmarks to hit the appropriate spot; with ultrasound-guided injections, Dr. Austin Yeargan can visualize muscles, tendons, bones, and joint structures during the procedure, leading to greater precision. The entire procedure usually takes 15-30 minutes.

Conditions that benefit from this type of injection include arthritis, bursitis, tendon injuries, labrum injuries, and inflammation.

What are the benefits?

Ultrasound-guided injections offer several benefits. The greater accuracy they provide means outcomes (including pain relief) can be better as well. In some cases, the ultrasound can also provide diagnostic information, which gives us a more accurate idea of what’s actually causing your pain and what the best treatment will be.

These injections are also minimally invasive. We do them in the office, and you’ll have little to no downtime afterward, so you can return to normal activities fairly quickly. You may feel some soreness for a few days.

Is it right for you?

An ultrasound-guided injection may be a good option for you if you’re suffering from persistent symptoms and pain despite treatments such as physical therapy and oral medications. They’re also a good option if you’re looking for a way to reduce your pain and delay more invasive procedures such as hip replacement.

Results are temporary, and your pain relief will fade after a few months. These injections also can’t reverse structural damage, so they can’t help you regrow cartilage, for instance.

If you think ultrasound-guided injections may be a good solution for your hip pain, Dr. Yeargan and our team would be happy to help. To schedule an appointment, call the Carolina Joint and Arthritis office in Wilmington, North Carolina, or use our online scheduler to choose your own time.