Nonsteroidal injections are used to reduce pain and allow the patient to perform physical therapy treatment with minimal pain. Physical therapy treatments combined with nonsteroidal injections provide the patient with long-term pain relief by treating the problem rather than masking it. The main benefit of using a non-steroidal injection is the reduction in the likelihood that your immune system will become depressed. Many of these injections have been shown to have similar or equivalent results compared to previous steroid injections, such as a substantial decrease in pain and an increase in joint range of motion.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are a newer alternative for treating osteoarthritis joint pain. The cells in the patient's own blood are processed in a centrifuge to remove red blood cells and most of the white blood cells, concentrating the platelets. Toradol (ketorolac tromethamine) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is most commonly given by injection. It is indicated for the short-term treatment of moderate to severe acute pain.
For the past few years, toradol has been used intra-articularly in a similar way to cortisone injections for joint pain. This reinforces the argument in favor of an alternative to corticosteroids and the prevention of the harmful effects of steroids.