Hip injections primarily work by delivering medication directly into the hip joint or the surrounding tissues to reduce inflammation and pain. The most common type of hip injection involves corticosteroids, such as cortisone.
Here's a breakdown of how they work:
- Targeted Delivery: Injections allow for a precise delivery of medication directly to the source of pain. This minimizes systemic side effects compared to oral medications.
- Corticosteroids and Inflammation: Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory medications. They mimic cortisol, a natural hormone, and work by:
- Reducing Inflammation: Corticosteroids suppress the immune system's inflammatory response in the hip joint.
- Decreasing Swelling: By reducing inflammation, swelling around the bone and soft tissues decreases, alleviating pressure and discomfort.
- Easing Pain: Reduced inflammation and swelling lead to a decrease in pain signals.
- Improving Mobility: By reducing pain and stiffness, hip injections can improve the range of motion and ease movement.
Essentially, a cortisone injection into the hip joint is designed to reduce swelling around the bone, thereby easing discomfort and stiffness, and ultimately allowing for improved mobility.
