Injections

• The purpose of the injection is to eliminate the pain or numbness/tingling caused by your condition.
• The injection is a combination of a local anesthetic and a cortisone preparation. The cortisone solution decreases the inflammation in the involved area. The local anesthetic will cause temporary numbness or decrease in the pain.
• The area to be injected will be washed with an antiseptic cleanser. A small needle will be used to inject the preparation. You will probably feel fullness at the injection site.
• After the anesthetic wears off you may experience some pain for a few hours. A small red spot may be noted where the needle went through your skin.
• Pain can be managed with ice and/or Tylenol or an anti-inflammatory if you normally can use them.. Ice may be applied with an ice pack. A towel should be placed between your skin and the ice. You may also use an ice cube to rub over the sore area. Do not leave the ice cube in one spot on your hand for any length of time.
• You should wear your splint as much as possible for the next 24 hours.
• The pain caused by the condition will return after the anesthetic wears off and before the cortisone works. Therefore be prepared and use the medications and precaution you used before the injection.
• The injection will start to work in approximately 2 to 5 days. Full benefit will be noted in 3 weeks.
• Fever, severe pain, or redness could be signs of an infection. If these are noted, you should call your doctor immediately.

Common Injections

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome The purpose of the injection is to eliminate the tingling, numbness, and pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. The injection is given on the palmar side of the wrist where it meets the forearm. After the injection, you may have numbness in your thumb, index, middle, and part of your ring finger. This will last for about an hour.	DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis The purpose of the injection is to eliminate the pain caused by DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis. The injection will be at the thumb side of the wrist near the base of the thumb. You should wear your thumb/wrist splint as much as possible for the next 24 hours.	Epicondylitis The purpose of the injection is to eliminate the pain caused by epicondylitis. The local anesthetic used will decrease the pain for approximately an hour. After that the pain will recur, so be prepared. The injection will be given in the area of maximum tenderness.	Trigger Finger The purpose of the injection is to eliminate the catching, locking, and pain caused by trigger finger. After the injection, you may have numbness in your finger. This will last for about an hour.