Beyond Medication: 5 Interventional Approaches to Managing Arthritis Pain
Aug 02, 2026
Arthritis pain can make routine activities difficult, from climbing stairs and opening jars to walking, working, or sleeping comfortably. Medications may reduce symptoms for some people, but they don’t always provide enough relief. Others may experience side effects or prefer to reduce their reliance on oral pain relievers.
At Arora Pain Clinic in Torrance, California, board-certified pain management specialist Ripu Arora, MD, MBA, offers advanced interventional treatments for arthritis and other chronic pain conditions. Dr. Arora identifies the source of each patient’s symptoms and develops a personalized plan to reduce pain, improve mobility, and support a more active lifestyle.
Interventional pain management uses targeted procedures to treat pain at or near its source. Depending on the location and severity of your arthritis, Dr. Arora may recommend one or more of the following approaches.
Arthritis often causes inflammation, stiffness, and pain in weight-bearing joints, such as the knees and hips. It can also affect the shoulders and other joints throughout the body.
During a joint injection, Dr. Arora places medication directly into the painful joint. The injection may contain a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation and a local anesthetic to provide more immediate relief.
Joint injections can help:
Relief varies from person to person. Some patients experience improvement within a few days, while others need additional treatment as part of a broader pain management plan. Arora Pain Clinic offers knee, hip, and other joint injections for appropriately selected patients.
Arthritis doesn’t only affect the knees, hips, and hands. It can also develop in the facet joints, the small joints that connect the vertebrae and help stabilize the spine. Facet joint arthritis may cause persistent neck or back pain that worsens when you bend, twist, stand, or look upward.
Dr. Arora may inject medication into an affected facet joint to reduce inflammation and pain. In other cases, he may perform a medial branch block, which targets the small nerves that carry pain signals away from the affected joint.
These injections can serve two purposes. They may provide temporary pain relief while also helping Dr. Arora to confirm whether a specific joint or nerve is the cause of your symptoms. The results can guide the next stage of treatment.
When a diagnostic nerve block provides significant but temporary relief, radiofrequency ablation may offer a longer-lasting option.
During radiofrequency ablation, Dr. Arora positions a specialized needle near the nerve that is responsible for transmitting pain signals. He then applies controlled radiofrequency energy to the targeted nerve tissue. This process inhibits the nerve’s ability to send pain messages to the brain.
Radiofrequency ablation may help patients with arthritis-related neck, back, or joint pain that has not improved enough with physical therapy, medications, or injections. It doesn’t cure arthritis or reverse joint damage, but it may reduce pain enough to make daily movement, exercise, and rehabilitation easier.
Patients typically go home soon after the procedure. Some experience temporary soreness near the treatment area before noticing improvement.
Arthritis in the spine can lead to bone spurs, inflammation, and narrowing around spinal nerves. When these changes irritate or compress a nerve, you may experience pain that travels into an arm or leg, along with numbness, tingling, or weakness.
An epidural steroid injection places anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space surrounding the spinal nerves. By reducing inflammation near an irritated nerve, the injection may relieve radiating pain and improve your ability to move.
Dr. Arora may recommend an epidural injection when spinal arthritis contributes to conditions such as spinal stenosis or nerve root irritation. Relief may begin within several days, although every patient responds differently. The benefits may last from weeks to months and can make it easier to participate in physical therapy or other restorative treatments.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy takes a regenerative approach to arthritis pain. Instead of relying solely on medication, PRP uses a concentrated portion of your own blood to support the body’s healing response.
Dr. Arora draws a small amount of blood and processes it, separating the plasma with high platelet volume. He then injects the PRP into the affected area. Platelets contain growth factors that are involved in both tissue repair and healing.
PRP may help reduce inflammation, ease joint discomfort, and improve mobility for some patients. Because PRP treatment uses your own blood products, it avoids many of the concerns associated with synthetic medications. Results develop gradually as the body responds to the injection, and not every type or stage of arthritis responds the same way.
The best intervention depends on where your pain originates, how advanced your arthritis has become, and whether irritated nerves contribute to your symptoms. Your overall health, activity level, previous treatments, and goals also influence the decision.
Dr. Arora reviews your medical history, performs a physical and neurological examination, and may order X-rays, an MRI, or other imaging tests. He then recommends the least invasive treatment likely to provide meaningful improvement.
Interventional procedures often work best as part of a comprehensive plan. That plan can include physical therapy, exercise, weight management, activity modifications, and other conservative treatments.
You don’t have to rely only on daily medication to manage persistent arthritis pain. If stiff, painful joints are limiting your mobility or quality of life, call Arora Pain Clinic or schedule an appointment online with Dr. Arora to discuss which interventional treatment may be right for you.