Tendon or Bursa Injections

Tendon or bursa injections are performed in patients with tendonitis of the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, and foot. Common examples include rotator cuff tears or sprains of the shoulder, bicipital tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, De Quervains tenosynovitis, piriformis syndrome, greater trochanteric bursitis, gluteus medius tendonitis ischial bursitis, iliotibial band bursitis, prepatellar bursitis, pes anserine bursitis, posterior tibialis tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.

Usually a combination of a steroid and numbing medication is injected directly into the bursa (i.e. fluid-filled sac) or overlying the tendon. These injections with steroids may be repeated usually no more frequently than every three months for bursa injections. There is much debate concerning multiple steroid injections targeting a tendon because steroids have been linked to tendon rupture.