Hip injections

Also known as steroid injection therapy or a hydrocortisone hip injection, this is a common and highly effective means of managing pain and swelling in your joint. Steroid injections can be used to treat hip pain from various causes, so you can benefit from them whether you have suffered an injury or are living with a form of arthritis in your hip.

How do hip injections work?

Hydrocortisone is a steroid medication that works by calming down your body's immune response. This can reduce distressing symptoms such as pain, itching, swelling and inflammation.

Hydrocortisone comes in several forms, including cream, tablets and injections. Cortisone hip injections are injected directly into your painful hip (an injection directly into your joint is known as an intra-articular injection). The medication is released slowly into your joint, making movement easier, reducing pain, and improving your overall quality of life as a result.

There are several types of steroid injections that treat a variety of health conditions, which are:

• An intramuscular injection - An injection into your muscle
• An epidural injection - An injection into your spine
• An intravenous injection - An injection into your blood
• An intra-articular injection - As mentioned above, this is an injection administered directly into your painful joint

The most common reason for having hip injections is arthritis of the hip. There are several forms of arthritis, including:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis occurs when the smooth cartilage across the surface of your hip joint wears down over time. You will sometimes hear it referred to as wear and tear arthritis, and it's more common the older you get.

The wear and tear of osteoarthritis can make your joints very painful and stiff and can significantly reduce your flexibility and mobility. This is the most common type of arthritis both in the UK and worldwide.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint condition caused by an autoimmune process, which happens when your body attacks its healthy cells by mistake. This often causes pain, swelling, and inflammation in your joints. Joints affected by RA are commonly surrounded by inflamed tissue, which often results in chronic pain and limited mobility.

Hip bursitis

Bursitis happens when the fluid filled sacs (known as bursa) that cushion and protect your joints become inflamed. This can result in pain and swelling. Usually, it presents as a dull, aching pain that can persist even when you take traditional painkillers or try gentle stretching. The dull aching pain can prevent you from sleeping and walking freely.

Hip fractures

You might also need steroid injections after you suffer a hip fracture, which is when a crack occurs at the top of your thigh bone (femur). Hip fractures are usually caused by a traumatic injury such as an injury during contact sports, but they can sometimes happen because of a condition that weakens your hip bone, such as osteoporosis.

There are several symptoms that show you might need steroid injections to help relieve your hip pain, including:

• Stiffness
• Pain
• Swelling
• Redness around your hip
• Weakness around your hip
• A clicking sound in your hip
• Hip pain that doesn't go away with traditional painkillers
• Hip pain that prevents you from sleeping

Living with hip pain

Living with hip pain can be extremely debilitating and interfere with simple everyday movements that we often take for granted, like bending, turning, and even walking. These movements are essential in order to perform daily tasks like shopping, driving and household chores.

If you live with hip pain, everyday life gets harder. You might find it difficult to sleep or socialise because of the degree of pain you experience. This could impact your emotional wellbeing, as well as your physical wellbeing.

At Circle Health Group, we take a holistic approach to your care, meaning we consider the emotional impact your joint pain has on your daily life. This helps us tailor your treatment plan to your needs and offer you the best possible results.

If hip pain is affecting your emotional wellbeing and ability to function in daily life, call or book online today to speak with one of our specialists about steroid injections in your hip. This simple treatment could significantly reduce or even eliminate your distressing symptoms.

The cost of hip joint injections with Circle Health Group depend on various factors, including which type of injections you are having and why, as well as which hospital you choose.

The cost of hip injections at our hospitals starts at about £200.*

If you are paying for your own treatment, we’ll give you a fixed-price package including any follow-up appointments or aftercare that you need.

You’ll be able to take advantage of our flexible payment options, which help you spread the cost of your payment across a time period that suits you. We offer fixed-term monthly payment plans over one to five years with no deposit required. If you decide to pay over 12 months, you will pay interest-free. If you are paying for a longer period, you will pay 9.9% APR.

If you have private health insurance, hip injections will usually be covered by your policy. Speak to your provider directly to find out.

*This is a starting price and is just a guide price for patients paying for their own treatment. Any pre-surgery diagnostic tests and your consultant’s outpatient appointment consultation fee are charged separately.

You can usually see an orthopaedic consultant who specialises in the treatment of damaged and painful joints for your initial consultation within 48 hours of booking your appointment with us.

During this appointment, your consultant will ask about your general health and your medical history in detail. They will want to know about any existing medical conditions you have, as well as the current hip pain symptoms you are experiencing. They'll ask you how long you have had symptoms and when they first occurred.

In order to assess your symptoms and make an accurate diagnosis of your concern, your consultant will next carry out a gentle physical examination of your hip. In some cases, they might also send for you to get an X-ray, which will be carried out onsite by one of our radiographers. All of this helps us to diagnose the cause of your hip problems and identify the best treatments for you.

Your initial consultation is where we begin to get to know you as an individual. It is from the information we gather during this session that we will start building your personalised treatment plan, which will probably include steroid injection therapy into your hip. To make the most of the initial consultation, please feel free to talk as openly and honestly as you like about the pain you're experiencing, the way it makes you feel, and what you're hoping to get from treatment.

There is not much you can do to physically prepare for steroid injection treatment, in the same way you can’t prepare for most injections. We recommend that you take the day to rest after your hip injection, so stock your house up with easy-to-cook food and plenty of appliances before treatment, as you should spend the day at home and relaxing.

A steroid injection in your hip is carried out like any other injection and administered by your consultant orthopaedic surgeon. You will usually have the injection directly into your hip every three months; it is not recommended to have more than four in a year.

Sometimes your consultant will use an imaging technique such as X-ray or ultrasound to help them guide the needles, however in some cases this won't be necessary.

What to expect after a hip injection

Some people experience immediate relief after their injection, but it typically takes around three to four days for your hip pain and swelling to go down. While a steroid injection doesn’t eliminate your symptoms or cure your joint pain condition, it does provide significant relief from pain, swelling, and inflammation. When injected into your bloodstream, steroids reduce inflammation throughout your body, relieving pain and stiffness and helping you return to your normal everyday life without debilitating symptoms.

How long do hip injections last?

Relief from a steroid injection can last for up to three or four months at a time. You usually need to wait at least six weeks between injections. We don't normally recommend more than four injections in your hip within the timeframe of 12 months, but your consultant will discuss these factors with you to ensure you receive the safest and most effective form of injection treatment.

Do hip injections hurt?

Like any injection, steroid hip injections can feel uncomfortable, like a sharp scratch. But they should not be painful. Sometimes your consultant will inject a local anaesthetic, as well as hydrocortisone, into your joint to numb the area so you don't feel anything when having treatment. They will let you know whether they plan to do this if you have concerns about the injection being uncomfortable.

Are hip injections safe?

Steroid hip injections are a perfectly safe and fast way of helping reduce your symptoms, helping you get back to enjoying your usual everyday activities. It is important to note that steroid injections are different from anabolic steroids used illegally by some people to increase their muscle mass.

You will be able to leave hospital on the same day as having your steroid injection. If you have had local anaesthesia with your injection, you will need someone to collect you from hospital while it wears off. We can arrange a taxi to collect you, if you prefer, but you won't be able to drive home on your own.

As mentioned above, you should rest for most of the day after your injection. We recommend taking the day off work and spending your day relaxing at home. You can return to normal everyday activities, including exercise, after 24 hours.

Your joint might feel warm and look red where you have had the injection, and you might feel some pain and stiffness before your symptoms start to ease, which usually takes about three days. You can manage this mild pain effectively with traditional painkillers, as well as heat therapy (the application of an icepack to your hip to numb your pain, or a hot water bottle to reduce muscle tension and ease swelling).

You might also develop some bruising where the injection was administered, but this is completely normal and will heal within a few days.

Hip injections are a low risk treatment and complications are rare, especially if you are only having injections into one area of your body.

Potential side effects include:

• Initial pain and discomfort
• Changes in skin colour
• Loss of fatty tissue
• Tendon rupture
• Infection

Serious complications as a result of steroid injections are rare. If you have any concerns about these, speak with your consultant. They will be able to discuss their likelihood with you in more detail and put your worries at ease.

When you choose to go private with Circle Health Group, you can expect:

• Flexible appointment times to fit your schedule
• The freedom to choose your hospital and your consultant
• Bespoke, consultant-led treatment plans tailored to your individual needs
• Private ensuite rooms as standard
• Tasty and nutritious meals cooked onsite to your dietary requirements
• Support from the same compassionate clinical team from beginning to end
• Affordable, fixed-price packages with aftercare included
• Flexible payment options to help spread the cost of your care

If you want to know more about steroid hip injections and find out if it's the right treatment for you, book your appointment online today or call a member of our team directly on 0141 300 5009.

Content reviewed by Circle in-house team in November 2022. Next review due November 2025.

1. Cortisone shot side effects, Very Well Health
2. Hydrocortisone injections, NHS