What are steroid injections?
Steroid injections, also known as corticosteroid injections, are a type of medical treatment used to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain in specific areas of the body.
-
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.