After the Procedure

After the injections, the patient will usually lay upright or semiupright on the exam table for about 2-5 minutes to make sure he or she feels good after the procedure, and, then, the patient should avoid lying down for 2-4 hours. If bruising is a concern, it will be important for the patient to avoid taking aspirin or related products, such as ibuprofen (eg, Advil) or naproxen (eg, Aleve) if possible after the procedure to keep bruising to a minimum.  

There are many physicians who encourage their patients to either work the area several times during the next several days or, alternatively, to not use the affected muscles during the next several days. Studies of these patients have not yet been performed. (This author does not tell his patients to do anything in particular other than to avoid strenuous activity for several hours afterwards because of an increased risk of bruising. This author has had several patients who leaned over or strained after injections, causing bruising to develop.)