American family physician
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Hip and knee injections are useful diagnostic and therapeutic tools for family physicians. This article reviews anatomic landmark-guided and ultrasound-guided injections and aspiration techniques for greater trochanteric pain syndrome, the hip joint, the knee joint, the pes anserine bursa, and the iliotibial band. Indications for injections include acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; overuse; and traumas. ⋯ The most common complications are local inflammatory reactions to the injectant. These reactions usually cause soreness for 24 to 48 hours, then spontaneously resolve. Follow-up after injections is usually scheduled within two to six weeks.