Sports Medicine Specialist

What’s included in sports medicine?

Sports medicine focuses on physical fitness and movement. It’s a specialized field of medicine that aims to treat and prevent injury so that patients can participate in all their favorite activities safely.

Living an active life is essential for optimal wellness. But when you’re active, your risk of injury increases. Repetitive motion, strain, and acute injury can wear down joints, leading to inflammation and pain.

As a trained rheumatologist, Dr. Chimata understands how your bones, muscles, and joints all work together as you move. If joint pain keeps you from living an active lifestyle, sports medicine care at Katy Rheumatology & Associates can help.

What are the benefits of joint injections for sports medicine?

Joint pain can severely restrict your mobility. Oral anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and other noninvasive treatments can effectively relieve some types of pain, but they may not be enough for everyone.

Joint injections offer an alternative for people with joint pain, whether it stems from acute sports injuries or chronic conditions like arthritis.

Dr. Chimata may recommend joint injections to treat:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Labral tears
• Ligament tears
• Muscle tears
• Tendonitis

If you’ve tried other treatments and you still have joint pain, ultrasound-guided joint injections could offer much-needed relief.

What happens during a joint injection?

Getting a joint injection is a minimally invasive, in-office procedure. The team helps you get comfortable and administers sedation and/or anesthesia as needed when you arrive.

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your body. It allows Dr. Chimata to accurately assess all your joint elements without the need for a more invasive procedure.

During ultrasound-guided joint injection, Dr. Chimata uses ultrasound to view your joint in real-time. She guides a small needle to a specific area in your joint and injects medication to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

You’re moved to a recovery room, and then you’re free to go. Many patients report an immediate improvement in their pain, and symptoms continue improving over the next several days.

The benefits of joint injections typically last several weeks to several months. Dr. Chimata continues monitoring your condition, and she may recommend additional injections if your pain begins to return.

When joint pain keeps you from living an active life, ultrasound-guided injections could help. Book a consultation at Katy Rheumatology & Associates online or over the phone to get started.