If you are a regular visitor to this blog, or follow me on social media, you know I am a pro-aging advocate. I’m a big believer that we only get better as we get older. But I do recognize that aging has its challenges as well. One such challenge that many of us face as we get older is osteoarthritis.

There are many different solutions that help osteoarthritis, including joint injections and supplements. An experienced doctor can advise on the best solution for you.

What Causes Osteoarthritic Pain?

While joint injections can provide welcome relief to a sufferer of osteoarthritic pain, it is important to understand why this pain is occurring. After all, unlike the pain that we feel from our nerve endings communicating with our brain, joint cartilage doesn't feature any nerve connectivity.

Two opposing health theories have been introduced to explain this pain. The first of these explanations is that the pain is actually from tissues that are situated adjacent to the cartilage – such as the synovial membrane. The second theory has it that the pain does actually come from cartilage because nerve endings are created when the cartilage becomes diseased (also known as neo-neuro-genesis).

The more obvious reason for the osteoarthritic joint pain, as opposed to the underlying theories for why the pain is felt, is much simpler. It is brought about by a loss of synovial fluid capacity due to aging. It’s often a result of sports injuries to joints, or when a joint is over-exerted or under-utilized. While some believe nothing can truly alleviate this pain, this would be a wrong assumption to make. There is much evidence to suggest that osteoarthritis knee injection treatments can drastically reduce (and, in some cases, remove altogether) joint pain. A lot of people will seek these treatments and use them with medical supplements for the perfect solution. As long as the treatment is being overseen by a medical professional, this should be able to be done safely and with no risk beyond minor side effects that last no longer than a day or two.

How Joint Injections for Osteoarthritis Work

There are two major types of joint injections for osteoarthritis: steroids and hyaluronic acid. The former is not without risk of side effects, such as soft tissue damage (possibly making the joint pain worse) and causing high blood pressure, whereas the latter's side effects are more temporary (a slight pain after injections). As such, hyaluronic acid injections for osteoarthritis are much preferred to steroid injections.

These injections work by helping to artificially replenish thinning synovial fluid in the joints brought about by osteoarthritis. This fluid is what helps keep your joints lubricated. Without it, your ability to absorb shock from movements (particularly movements involving a degree of exertion) is diminished – causing pain. For those dealing with osteoarthritic pain, this can often be especially pronounced in the knee area. An injection in the knee for osteoarthritis is a simple way to relieve this pain without rushing to surgery.

This involves trained medical professionals injecting the hyaluronic acid into the knee joint area. You may require a single shot, or multiple shots, over a period of a couple of weeks. Often the pain relief can be felt for up to 6 months or beyond. Regular monitoring of the effectiveness of this relief, and follow-up injections, can come later. The effectiveness of hyaluronic acid treatment for knee joint pain is not in question, with the technique having received FDA approval.

So if you are suffering from osteoarthritic pain, this can be a great option to find relief and continue to live a wonderful, active life.