Joint Pain

Painful, swollen joints can make even the simplest movements seem impossible. At Union Anesthesia Associates, with offices in Union, Scotch Plains, Bloomfield, South Bound Brook, New Brunswick, Old Bridge, and Woodbridge, New Jersey, nonsurgical treatments are available to relieve persistent joint pain from injuries and degenerative diseases like arthritis. The board-certified anesthesiologists also provide minimally invasive laser spine surgery to ease or eliminate the chronic back and neck pain of facet joint syndrome. Call the Union Anesthesia Associates office near you today to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for joint pain or book a consultation online.

What causes joint pain?

Bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments form the estimated 350 joints in your body. Joint pain develops when injuries or disease damage these structures.

Acute joint pain typically lasts less than six weeks and can result from the overuse of your joints that strains the soft tissues. Chronic joint pain lasts longer than six weeks and is often the result of degenerative conditions like:

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout are forms of arthritis that cause joint stiffness, swelling, and pain.

Facet joint syndrome

Facet joint syndrome affects the small joints in the spine that connect your vertebrae. Trauma or overuse of these joints leads to chronic inflammation that causes stiffness and pain, most often in the cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (lower back).

Union Anesthesia Associates provides nonsurgical treatments to relieve persistent pain in your shoulders, knees, ankles, and other joints. The experienced pain management specialists focus on restoring full function to your joints and slowing the progression of arthritis and other degenerative diseases.

When should I seek a medical evaluation for joint pain?

Schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Union Anesthesia Associates if you have joint pain that isn’t treatable with over-the-counter anti-inflammatories or pain relievers.

You should also book a consultation if you experience other symptoms that interfere with the function of your joints, such as:

• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Numbness
• Tenderness
• Poor range of motion

Without medical care, some joint conditions can increase your risk of joint deformities that require surgery or other invasive treatments.

The providers could request bloodwork, X-rays, and other diagnostic tests to determine the pain’s cause.

How is joint pain treated?

Union Anesthesia Associates provides several nonsurgical treatments for joint pain. The pain management specialists initially recommend lifestyle changes, weight loss, and low-impact exercises to support your overall joint health.

If pain makes exercise or physical therapy difficult, the providers can prescribe oral medications to ease inflammation and pain. They can also inject corticosteroids and anesthetic medicine directly into painful joints, including the facet joints of your spine.

Laser spine surgery is available to patients with severe pain from facet joint syndrome. During a rhizotomy, the specialists use advanced laser technology to remove inflamed or damaged nerves contributing to chronic back and neck pain.

Call the Union Anesthesia Associates office nearest you today to schedule a consultation for joint pain, or book your appointment online.