Pain management in sport: therapeutic injections

Abstract

Corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid, and platelet-rich plasma injections are commonly utilized when managing pain and injury in the athlete. Although there is ample scientific literature on these injection types, there is a paucity of evidence guiding the use of any of these modalities in a younger, athletic population. Injection strategies should be used as just one aspect of a detailed and athlete-specific return to sport and rehabilitation plan. More high-quality research is needed to determine the most appropriate and optimum injection use in the management of painful musculoskeletal conditions, including patient factors and injection formulations.

Keywords: comprehensive care; corticosteroid; evidence-based; hyaluronic acid; platelet-rich plasma.