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2014 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02462
617-243-6000
Open 24 hoursLab Hours and Holiday Hours Vary
307 W Central St
Natick, MA 01760
617-243-5345
159 Wells Ave
Newton Centre, MA 02459
617-243-5777
111 Norfolk Street
Walpole, MA 02081maps
978 Worcester Road (rte 9)
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02482
781-235-5200
Open 24 hours
Lab Hours and Holiday Hours Vary
25 Washington Street
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
617-219-1520
9 Hope Ave
Waltham, MA 02453
617-243-5590
Monday through Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
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Joint injections and aspirations are procedures done under X-ray guidance for pain management. Joint injections involve providing pain-relieving medication through a needle into the affected joint, while joint aspirations involve removing fluid for the joint to relieve pain or to help diagnose conditions. You may have both a joint injection and an aspiration or just the injection, depending on what your referring doctor orders.
Department of Radiology, Newton-Wellesley Hospital 2014 Washington Street Newton, MA 02462 Phone: 617-243-6600
Because of the minor invasive nature of the procedure, you likely will need to stop taking anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medications four days before your procedure. You should only do this under the guidance of your referring doctor.
First, we will take initial X-ray images of your joint. We then will guide you into the proper position, depending on what joint we are treating. We will use antiseptic soap to clean the area and inject a local anesthetic into the skin to numb the area.
Next, we will insert a needle into the joint space. We will inject contrast medium to help us better see inside the joint and confirm that the needle is in the correct position. If you are having a joint aspiration, the radiologist will collect any fluid that may be in your joint. The radiologist will then inject the medication into the joint space. We will remove the needle and place a bandage over your injection site.
You should expect to be at the hospital for at least an hour.
Connect with our team to set up your imaging test