Chapter 49 Knee Injection
Common indications
The knee injection of steroids is a treatment for symptoms of osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis of the knee joint (Figure 49-1). As with all joint injections, sterility must be maintained for any components used in the injection that enter the knee-joint space. Knee effusions can be found in several conditions, including septic arthritis. Do not inject steroids into a potentially infected knee.
Equipment
The equipment for a knee injection includes gloves, povidone-iodine wipes or alcohol wipes, an, 18-gauge needle and a 27-guage, 1½-in. needle, a 3cc syringe, 0.5% Marcaine, 20 to 40 mg of methylprednisolone acetate or its equivalent, and an adhesive bandage dressing (Figure 49-2).
Key steps
1. Draw up 2 cc of Marcaine and 40 mg of methylprednisolone acetate or its equivalent into a syringe using an 18-gauge needle, and mix well by tipping the syringe backward and forward (Figure 49-3).
2. There are three commonly used approaches to knee injections. The upper lateral approach is used if an effusion is present and the removal of fluid is done at the same time as steroids are injected.
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