Steroid injection therapy

Steroid injection therapy is the injection of corticosteroid medications into painful joints or soft tissues to reduce pain and inflammation in the area

What is injection therapy?

Injection therapy is the injection of steroid (corticosteroid) medications into painful joints or soft tissues to reduce pain and inflammation in that area. This may be recommended if you are unable to tolerate oral anti-inflammatories, if your condition is too painful for you to manage with physiotherapy exercises, or if your progress has slowed down. Occasionally injections may be used to confirm a diagnosis if it is not clear where your symptoms originate from.

We work closely with consultants should you need a fast onward referral for injection therapy using ultrasound or x-ray guidance. This might be recommended for injections in areas such as hip joints, neck or lower back.

How does it work?

Steroids are a synthetic version of hormones produced by the adrenal glands, which are two small glands found above the kidneys. When injected into a joint or muscle, steroids reduce redness and swelling

How could you benefit from injection therapy?

The injection can help to relieve swelling, pain and stiffness caused by inflammation. This can help you rehabilitate effectively and help you to return to normal activities sooner by ‘breaking the cycle’ of pain and inflammation. This is usually recommended to those suffering from overuse syndromes, when other types of physiotherapy don’t work.

It can also aid the diagnosis of your condition if it is not clear what is causing your pain. You may have a local anaesthetic injected at the same time to allow for temporary pain relief and to help locate where your pain is originating from.

Common conditions that could benefit from injection therapy:

Arthritis
Bursitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Capsulitis
Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow/Golfers Elbow)
Shoulder impingement
Tendonitis
Trigger points

Can anyone have injection therapy?

There are very few reasons people wouldn’t be able to have injection therapy, your physiotherapist will discuss this with you as part of your assessment. Your physiotherapist would usually need to know if you have had any previous injections, if you had any adverse reactions or allergies to medications, if you are pregnant or if you have an infection.

How much does injection therapy cost?

The initial assessment with an MSK physiotherapist is from £70*
An injection and follow-up appointment are from £180**
Follow up (treatment) sessions are from £50*

**follow-up appointments from injection usually take place 6 weeks after the injection

Why have injection therapy at Circle Health?

Specially trained physiotherapists: all our injection therapy trained physiotherapists have undergone advanced training to allow them to perform injections
Fast access to private treatment, usually within 48 hours
Service available at a wide selection of Circle Health hospitals throughout the country

*This is a starting from price and varies by hospital