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Tempe Joint Field Guide
A local decision map for painful joints

Tempe Joint Field Guide

What do people ask before choosing joint care?

Read the question closest to the concern you have today. These answers are general, so they can't identify why the joint is sore. You still need an exam when symptoms keep returning, grow worse, or limit daily life.

When should you not have a cortisone shot?

Wait for an exam if nobody has found the source of soreness. Joint heat and swelling with fever needs prompt care instead of a routine shot. Diabetes, blood thinners, past reactions, and planned surgery also need review. Don't stop prescribed medicine unless the person who ordered it guides you.

How soon after a cortisone shot can I have surgery?

Ask the surgeon before booking either procedure. A cortisone shot in the same joint within three months before replacement was linked with more infections. That doesn't mean every shot causes an infection. Tell the surgeon which joint was treated, what went into it, and the date.

What does PRP mean, and can it work at age 50?

PRP means platelet-rich plasma, a fluid made by spinning your blood. The spinning gathers platelets, tiny blood parts carrying substances used in healing. Age 50 doesn't settle whether this care fits you. Your health, daily limits, and joint damage matter too.

Do cortisone shots raise blood sugar if I am diabetic?

They can raise blood sugar for a short time. Tell the clinician how steady your readings have been. Ask when to check again and which result means you need help. Don't change insulin or other medicine without the person who manages it.

How many times can you get injections in your knees?

There isn't one yearly limit for everyone. The amount and length of relief matter, along with joint damage and your health. Less relief after each shot calls for a fresh exam. Ask what would make another shot useful or not worth repeating.

What are the types of joint injections?

Common choices include cortisone, gel, PRP, and marrow care. PRP uses blood that is spun to gather platelets into less fluid. Marrow care uses fluid collected from inside a bone. Costs, risks, and limits differ across these choices.

Where can I get a cortisone shot near me?

Start with a visit that checks where the soreness begins. The nearest location named here is in Chandler at 1100 S. Dobson Rd., Suite 210. A joint that is hot and swollen, along with fever, can't wait for a routine booking. Use urgent medical care for that.

Who does joint injections in Arizona?

Ask who will examine the joint, perform the procedure, and handle follow-up. Training and the type of joint care can differ. You also need a clear cost and next steps if relief doesn't come. QC Kinetix calls this regenerative treatment: medical providers collect blood or marrow, concentrate the fluid, and place it inside the joint during your visit.

Sources

  1. The HIT randomized trial (198 participants) found that adding a single ultrasound-guided triamcinolone-plus-lidocaine hip injection to best current treatment improved hip pain over six months (mean difference -1.43, 95% CI -2.15 to -0.72), but that the triamcinolone arm was NOT better than ultrasound-guided lidocaine alone; benefit was concentrated in patients with ultrasound-confirmed synovitis or effusion.

    Paskins Z, et al. — Clinical effectiveness of one ultrasound guided intra-articular corticosteroid and local anaesthetic injection in addition to advice and education for hip osteoarthritis (HIT trial): single blind, parallel group, three arm, randomised controlled trial.. BMJ, 2022. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2021-068446.

  2. A review of ten studies found single local corticosteroid injections caused a significant but TRANSIENT rise in blood glucose in patients with diabetes, with no adverse reactions or complications reported, and concluded such injections are most likely safe in people whose diabetes is well controlled.

    Waterbrook AL, et al. — Blood Glucose Levels After Local Musculoskeletal Steroid Injections in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Review.. Sports Health, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/1941738117702585.

  3. A meta-analysis found ipsilateral intra-articular corticosteroid injection within 3 months BEFORE joint arthroplasty was associated with increased periprosthetic joint infection risk, and the authors recommend against performing arthroplasty on a joint injected within that window - while injections given at any time overall showed no such association.

    Lai Q, et al. — Prior Intra-articular Corticosteroid Injection Within 3 Months May Increase the Risk of Deep Infection in Subsequent Joint Arthroplasty: A Meta-analysis.. Clin Orthop Relat Res, 2022. DOI: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000002055.

  4. The 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation OA guideline makes a STRONG recommendation for intra-articular glucocorticoid injection in knee OA, alongside strong recommendations for exercise, weight loss, self-management, tai chi, cane use, bracing and NSAIDs; intra-articular steroid injection for HAND OA is only conditionally recommended.

    Kolasinski SL, et al. — 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee.. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2020. DOI: 10.1002/art.41142.

  5. The AAOS third-edition non-arthroplasty knee OA guideline (2022) issues 29 recommendations across non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic care, and its work group explicitly flagged the need for better research on intra-articular corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma.

    Brophy RH, et al. — AAOS Clinical Practice Guideline Summary: Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Nonarthroplasty), Third Edition.. J Am Acad Orthop Surg, 2022. DOI: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-21-01233.

  6. A 2021 JAMA review of hip and knee osteoarthritis places intra-articular steroid injections as providing SHORT-TERM pain relief within a management model whose cornerstones are exercise, weight loss if appropriate and education, complemented by topical or oral NSAIDs, with joint replacement reserved for advanced symptoms and structural damage.

    Katz JN, et al. — Diagnosis and Treatment of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Review.. JAMA, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.22171.

  7. A 2024 AJR review of corticosteroid injection side effects lists local effects (post-injection flare, skin hypopigmentation and atrophy, infection, tendon rupture, accelerated osteoarthritis progression, osseous injury) and systemic effects (adrenal suppression, facial flushing, hypertension, hyperglycaemia, osteoporosis), and calls for targeted pre-injection counselling for specific populations.

    Kamel SI, et al. — Local and Systemic Side Effects of Corticosteroid Injections for Musculoskeletal Indications.. AJR Am J Roentgenol, 2024. DOI: 10.2214/AJR.23.30458.

  8. A meta-analysis of 10 RCTs of RECURRENT intra-articular corticosteroid injections (2-8 injections per patient) found they often gave inferior or non-superior relief compared with hyaluronic acid, PRP, saline or orgotein at 3 months and beyond, and no benefit over placebo in pain or function at 12-24 months.

    Donovan RL, et al. — Effects of recurrent intra-articular corticosteroid injections for osteoarthritis at 3 months and beyond: a systematic review and meta-analysis in comparison to other injectables.. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2022.07.011.

  9. The 2015 Cochrane review of 27 trials (1,767 participants) found intra-articular corticosteroid better than sham for knee OA pain (SMD -0.40, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.22; NNTB 8), but the benefit decayed with time: moderate at 1-2 weeks, small at 13 weeks, and no evidence of any effect at 26 weeks. All outcomes were graded LOW quality.

    Jüni P, et al. — Intra-articular corticosteroid for knee osteoarthritis.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2015. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005328.pub3.

  10. A 2022 BMJ systematic review and meta-analysis of 169 trials (21,163 participants) found viscosupplementation produced only a small pain reduction versus placebo (SMD -0.08, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.02; about -2.0 mm on a 100 mm VAS), below the minimal clinically important difference, and trial sequential analysis indicated conclusive evidence of clinical equivalence with placebo since 2009.

    Pereira TV, et al. — Viscosupplementation for knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis.. BMJ, 2022. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2022-069722.

  11. The RESTORE randomized trial (288 participants, leukocyte-poor PRP, 3 weekly injections) found no significant difference from saline placebo at 12 months in knee pain (-2.1 vs -1.8 points; difference -0.4, 95% CI -0.9 to 0.2) or in medial tibial cartilage volume (-1.4% vs -1.2%), with 29 of 31 secondary outcomes also showing no between-group difference.

    Bennell KL, et al. — Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: The RESTORE Randomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.19415.

  12. FDA's HCT/P guidance sets out the minimal-manipulation and homologous-use criteria that decide whether a human cell or tissue product is regulated solely under 21 CFR Part 1271 (section 361) or requires a biologics licence; cell-based orthopaedic injections that fall outside those criteria are unapproved drugs and biological products, and no cell-based product is FDA-approved to treat osteoarthritis.

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Regulatory Considerations for Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products: Minimal Manipulation and Homologous Use - Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020.

  13. A systematic review of 105 clinical orthopaedic PRP studies found only 11 (10%) described the preparation protocol well enough to be repeated, and only 17 (16%) reported quantitative metrics on the composition of the final PRP product - so 'PRP' in one trial is frequently not the same product as 'PRP' in another.

    Chahla J, et al. — A Call for Standardization in Platelet-Rich Plasma Preparation Protocols and Composition Reporting: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Orthopaedic Literature.. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2017. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.16.01374.

Would you like to talk with the clinic team?

Bring your medicine list, dates of past joint care, and notes about the soreness. Describe the daily task that soreness has made harder. Ask which care could follow when the first treatment doesn't help.

The nearest location for most Tempe neighborhoods is in Chandler at 1100 S. Dobson Rd., Suite 210. Call (602) 837-PAIN to discuss scheduling. The clinic can explain what happens during the visit.

Talk to the clinic team