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Joint injection (steroid)
Category: Bone, Joint & Spine Procedures · All bone, joint & spine procedures
What it is
A joint injection delivers corticosteroid (and usually local anaesthetic) directly into a painful joint to reduce inflammation and pain. Ultrasound or X-ray guidance is used for deeper joints such as the hip.
Why it is done
It is used for arthritis flare-ups, inflammatory joint conditions, and some tendon-sheath and bursa problems, to relieve pain and enable physiotherapy.
How to prepare
No fasting is needed. Tell the clinician about allergies, blood-thinning medicines and diabetes — steroid injections can temporarily raise blood sugar. The injection is postponed if there is infection in or over the joint.
What happens during the procedure
The skin is cleaned thoroughly and local anaesthetic may be used. The needle is placed into the joint (by feel for the knee, or with image guidance for deeper joints) and the medicine injected. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes and is briefly uncomfortable.
Afterwards — recovery & results
Rest the joint relatively for a day or two, then resume gentle movement and physiotherapy. Pain may briefly worsen for 24 to 48 hours (a steroid flare) before improving. Benefit, when it comes, usually lasts weeks to months and varies between people.
Risks & considerations
Risks include infection in the joint (rare but serious), bleeding, temporary flare, skin thinning or colour change at the site, and temporary blood-sugar rise in diabetes. Repeated injections into the same joint are limited because of possible cartilage and tendon effects.
Watch: Joint injection (steroid) videos
Real procedure videos from the MedicalVideos.com library. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
How quickly does it work?
The local anaesthetic relieves pain within minutes but wears off the same day; the steroid typically takes a few days to a week to reach full effect.
How many can I have?
There is no absolute number, but clinicians usually limit frequency in one joint (often to a few per year) and reassess if benefit is short-lived, because other options may serve you better.
Related procedures — Bone, Joint & Spine Procedures
Browse the J section of the A–Z list or return to the Procedures & Tests hub.