Arthritis
REDUCTION IN PAIN BY INTRA-ARTICULAR STEROID INJECTION – (10-04-04)
Intra-articular steroid injection of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb in OA
This is an interestng one. Reading the title may lead one to believe that the steroid injections were not effective. However, there was a 20% reduction in pain in both the placebo injection and the steroid. “So what?” you say. There is evidence accumulating that in is not the fluid being injected that does the fixing, but rather THE NEEDLE. One of the soft tissue techniques I use in my office is called Graston technique, and it uses patented stainless steel instruments to essentially damage ligaments, tendons, etc… through microtrauma.
This microtrauma then brings new blood flow/nutrients to fibrotic tissue than can begin to produce healthy ground substance and heal the scar tissue. So, might the needle and Graston technique share the same mechanism of healing? I think the research is leaning this way. So how much will doctors get paid just to stick the needle in?
A randomised controlled trial of intra-articular corticosteroid injection of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb in osteoarthritis.. –
