How to Inject Supartz

Painful knee joints can really cramp your style. Literally. Luckily, there are several things you can try to lessen the pain, including the drug Supartz. This medication is injected into the knee joint to help alleviate the pain, usually using a series of five injections, or one injection a week for 5 weeks. If your doctor recommends it, go for it. You can even perform your injections at home.

Things You'll Need

• 2 18-gauge needles
• 1 25-gauge needle
• 3 syringes
• Betadine swab sticks
• Xylocaine, 1 percent
• Supartz
• Empty pen tube
• Damp, clean cloth or paper towel

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Instructions

• 1

  Find the injection site. Place your hand on top of the patella, or knee cap, and move your fingers toward the inside of your leg. Locate the patella's medial border, or the edge on the inside of your leg. This is where you will inject the Supartz.

• 2

  Mark the spot. Use a small, round pen tube to gently indent the skin at the injection site.

• 3

  Prepare the skin. Disinfect and sterilize the skin in a 2-inch patch surrounding the injection site. Use Betadine swab sticks and swab with three of them.

• 4

  Numb the skin. Use a 25-gauge needle to inject the area with an anesthetic. OrthopodSurgeon.com recommends using 3 cc of 1 percent Xylocaine. Wait for the area to become numb, usually about 10 minutes.

• 5

  Remove joint fluid. Insert an 18-gauge needle with syringe plunger into the injection site. Slowly pull up the syringe plunger to withdraw any existing joint fluid.

• 6

  Inject the Supartz. Use an 18-gauge needle and syringe filled with 2 cc of Supartz to inject the medication into the knee joint. OrthopodSurgeon.com warns it may take practice to ensure the Supartz is being injected into the knee joint cavity rather than the surrounding knee tissue.

• 7

  Use a clean, damp cloth or paper towel to wipe the injection area clean and apply pressure for a few minutes to stop any bleeding. Put on a bandage until you are sure the bleeding is completely stopped.