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Millions of people worldwide are affected by joint conditions, such as:
- osteoarthritis (when joints become painful and stiff)
- tendonitis (the swelling of a tendon, which is a thick cord attaching a muscle to a bone)
- bursitis (the painful swelling of a joint, often caused by repetitive movement or an injury)
These disorders can result in crippling discomfort and serious movement issues. You might be given steroid injections to relieve sore knees or hips if lifestyle modifications and oral drugs do not help to alleviate your symptoms.
What is a steroid injection and how can it help?
The following painful musculoskeletal diseases of the lower limbs are treated with steroid injections:
- inflammatory joint disease
- osteoarthritis of the hips and knees
- other conditions affecting the joints
In a hospital, you typically receive steroid injections in the outpatient area. Only a few minutes are needed for the injection itself.
Are the injections safe?
Joint pain and inflammatory discomfort can be treated safely, quickly, and effectively with steroid injections.
The majority of patients’ symptoms disappear in a few days. Usually, pain alleviation lasts for several months.
Do the injections hurt?
A steroid injection can be rather uncomfortable at first, just like any other injection. Any discomfort will pass quickly. Additionally, you have a general anaesthetic to numb the region being treated. This implies that you feel the least amount of pain possible.
Are there any side effects to steroid injections?
Occasionally, the first 24 hours following a steroid injection may experience a flare-up of joint discomfort. Taking basic painkillers like paracetamol typically helps to resolve this. Infection, bruising, and skin discoloration are some other negative effects, however they are quite rare.
Can steroid injections make me gain weight?
The joint is precisely injected with a modest quantity of steroid. This indicates that there won’t be much of an impact on the rest of your body.
Medical research has shown that the steroids in the injections are useful for treating joint discomfort. They aren’t oral or anabolic steroids linked to weight gain.
Will steroid injections increase my chance of getting coronavirus (Covid-19)?
Inflammation is reduced by steroids. Never the circulation, they are injected into the joint or adjacent soft tissues. Recent research demonstrates that coronavirus risk is not increased by musculoskeletal steroid injections.
However, it is advised that you hold off on getting a steroid injection for at least two weeks each side of your coronavirus vaccination.
Are the injections effective?
A single steroid injection usually suffices, although occasionally you may require more than one. This could be a component of a treatment regimen that also involves physiotherapy and analgesics (drugs that reduce pain). If steroid injections are deemed to be medically required, you are safe to receive them more frequently than once per year.
You might need to have ultrasound-guided steroid injections in some circumstances. These injections are administered by specialised musculoskeletal radiologists. They aid in ensuring that the needle is positioned more precisely at the painful spot.
You might need to think about other choices, like surgery, if steroid injections don’t produce a long-lasting improvement.
