What are joint injections?
Injections deliver medicine directly to the painful joint or tendon. They are one part of a treatment plan — usually combined with exercise and physiotherapy — and are chosen carefully for each patient.
Types of injection
- PRP (platelet-rich plasma) — a concentrate prepared from your own blood, used in selected cases of early knee arthritis and chronic tendon problems
- Steroid injections — to calm severe inflammation, such as in frozen shoulder or bursitis
- Viscosupplementation — lubricating injections for some patients with knee arthritis
Who may benefit?
Injections may help patients with early to moderate arthritis, tennis or golfer's elbow, rotator cuff tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis and frozen shoulder. They are not suitable for everyone, and results vary between individuals.
The procedure
Injections are performed with sterile technique in a clinical setting and take only a few minutes. You can usually walk home the same day. Your doctor will explain how many sessions may be needed and when to expect improvement.
This page explains the treatment in general terms. Whether it is right for you is decided only after an examination and review of your X-ray or MRI.