An intra-articular hip injection is a procedure used to treat hip and groin pain. Usually this pain comes from inflammation (swelling) that happens from daily “wear and tear.” In some patients, the pain is from an injury or a birth defect.
During the procedure, a mixture of a local anesthetic and a steroid is injected into the hip. The local anesthetic will numb the area, and the steroid may help lower the swelling. This should reduce your pain and improve the motion in your hip.
Preparing for the procedure
Once your procedure is scheduled, we will give you instructions on how to prepare. It is very important for your safety to tell us if you:
• Take a blood thinner (for example, warfarin/Coumadin, Lovenox or Plavix);
• Take anything that contains aspirin or an anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen (for example, Advil or Motrin) or naproxen (for example, Aleve);
• Have a condition that prevents your blood from clotting normally; or
• Have any allergies to latex, local anesthetics or contrast (X-ray dye).
Please plan to have someone drive you home after your procedure. If you do not, your procedure may need to be rescheduled.
What to expect
The procedure takes about 15–20 minutes. You will be awake during the procedure and ask questions at any time. Before you leave, we will give you instructions on how to care for
yourself at home.
After the procedure
• You will want to be as active as possible and do the activities that usually cause pain in your hip and/or groin after the procedure. This will help your doctor know whether your
pain is caused by your hip.
• Keep track of your pain for 4 hours after your procedure. Your doctor will give you a diary to write down your pain levels and activities.
• You may feel sore for a few days after the procedure. Use an ice pack at least 3–4 times a day to feel more comfortable.
• The local anesthetic will wear off in about 4 hours. At that time, your usual level of pain may return until the steroid starts working. This can take up to 2 weeks. Keep taking pain medication, as prescribed, if you need it.
• Pain relief from a hip injection usually will last for several months, but this may vary from patient to patient. You may have 3–4 steroid injections a year. If you get no relief from the injection, we will continue to work with you to find the source of your pain and explore other treatment options.