Knee Injections
Providing a temporising solution to knee problems, these injections help to relieve pain and swelling and improve joint function.
Injections are used to treat symptoms, including pain and swelling, where either there is a desire to relieve them temporarily (whilst attempting other treatment) or where symptoms are not intrusive enough to warrant major surgery. Injections may also help to isolate knee pain when there are other potential pain sources.
The Procedure
The injection is performed in the treatment room/Theatre with the patient lying on the examination trolley. The procedure itself is quick, usually taking just a few seconds. The knee can feel tight as the injection enters the joint but this discomfort should are brief.
Steroid and Local Anaesthetic
This is typically the first choice for knee injections and best used for patients who suffer from night pain caused by inflammation of the synovial (lining) of the knee joint. It combines both local anaesthetic and steroid into one injection. The local anaesthetic usually provides immediate pain relief following administration. The steroid component may take up to 48 hours to gradually begin to work. After the injection, you will be asked to remain in the clinic for about 15-20 minutes to ensure you don’t feel unwell.
Risks of the steroid injection include – failure to provide the desired pain relief, infection, bleeding. We would recommend no more than 2 of these injections in a 12 month period & no steroid injections should be done within 6 months of having a joint replacement (total knee or partial knee replacement)
Hyaluronic Acid
This injection uses hyaluronic acid, a substance naturally found in joints, to provide additional lubrication to the knee. The viscous solution reduces pain by acting as a buffer between rough surfaces in the joint. It may also help mitigate the body’s inflammatory response, reducing further swelling and pain.