What are steroid injections?

Joint Pain and Arthritis

• Conditions: Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout.

• Areas: Knees, shoulders, hips, or smaller joints like fingers and wrists.

Tendonitis and Bursitis

• Conditions: Tennis elbow, rotator cuff tendonitis, or hip bursitis.

Benefits

• Rapid pain relief.

• Localised treatment so there are minimal systemic side effects.

• Reduces inflammation and swelling.

• Helps improve mobility and quality of life.

Risks

• Pain and discomfort for a few days .

• Temporary bruising or a collection of blood under the skin.

• An infection, causing redness, swelling and warmth.

• Paler skin around the site of the injection.

If you have diabetes, your blood sugar level may go up for a few days.

If you have high blood pressure, it may go up for a few days.

That depends on a few factors:

• The condition being treated by the steroid injection

• How long have you had the condition

• The part of your body being treated

In general, if a steroid injection successfully reduces your pain and inflammation, you can count on about 3 to 6 months of relief -or longer.

Ideally, your steroid injection will remain effective long enough for you to become more physically active and complete rehabilitation, which should bring long-lasting pain relief.

Steroid injections deliver powerful anti-inflammatory medication directly to the affected area, providing relief more quickly and effectively than oral medications in certain areas.

They are the main form of joint injection treatment in the NHS.