Joint pain treatment (joint injections) at Spire Leeds Hospital

Spire Leeds Hospital is a long-established private hospital and provides an extensive range of surgical and medical services for our patients in Leeds, Harrogate and York. We have many dedicated GPs, rheumatologists, orthopaedic consultants, sports and exercise medicine physicians, consultant MSK radiologists, pain medicine consultants and plastic surgeons who can perform joint injections to relieve chronic pain and stiffness.

We offer fast access to diagnostic tests and scans and easy booking, so you don’t have to wait long to find out if treatment is right for you.

Getting here

Spire Leeds Hospital is situated just off Leeds' main A6120 ring road, approximately three miles from Leeds city centre. The hospital is accessible via public transport (bus) or we're 15 minutes by car from the city centre and the mainline railway station. We have free on-site parking for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

All your consultations will take place in one of our 17 accessible rooms, so don’t worry if you have joint pain when walking. During your consultations, we'll:

• Ask about your medical history
• Say whether you need blood tests, an X-ray and/or an MRI or CT scan so they can examine your joint in more detail
• Check your blood pressure and blood sugar to make sure the hydrocortisone injection is suitable for you
• Explain about the procedure, anaesthetic and any potential risks and complications and how they may affect you
• Give you a chance to ask any questions you have about your treatment

Joint injections can be used to help knee pain, shoulder pain and hip pain, and in particular, pain that’s associated with osteoarthritis.

Once you and your consultant have decided to go ahead with joint injections, they’ll outline your treatment and ongoing support plan.

On the day of your procedure, you’ll come into Spire Leeds Hospital and meet your healthcare team.

When you’re ready, your consultant will feel and flex your joint and may draw out fluid with a needle, if necessary.

Your consultant will then perform the joint injection.

• They may use a local anaesthetic before or at the same time as the injection to help make the procedure more comfortable for you
• They may use a special X-ray machine to see your joint and guide the needle in
• They may make more than one injection, if necessary

When your consultant has finished, you’ll be able to relax in a recovery room until you’re ready to go home - this is usually for about half an hour or so. Before you leave, your healthcare team will give you advice on managing your pain and any exercises you can do to help improve your results.

You may have some discomfort from the injection – if you had a local anaesthetic, you may feel this after a couple of hours. However, the joint injection should improve your chronic pain in a few hours to a few days. Usually, the effects should last for a few weeks to a few months, depending on the type and strength of your injection.

Although everybody’s different and you should always follow your consultant’s advice, here’s a typical recovery timeline for joint injections: