Joint pain treatment (joint injections) at Spire South Bank Hospital

Located in the city of Worcester, we provide comprehensive private hospital care for our patients across the West Midlands. Our orthopaedic consultants perform joint injections to help relieve chronic pain and stiffness. Knee pain, shoulder pain and hip pain are common symptoms that may be improved with joint injections, especially joint pain associated with osteoarthritis.

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

Getting here

Spire South Bank Hospital is convenient for both the city of Worcester and junction 7 of the M5 which is just 2 miles away, as are Worcester Shrub Hill station and Worcester Foregate Street station. We have free on-site parking available for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

You’ll meet your consultant in one of our 12 consultation rooms. All of our rooms are accessible, so there’s no need to worry about stairs if your joint pain is causing you mobility problems.

During your consultations, we’ll:

• Ask about your medical history
• Recommend imaging scans and/or blood tests to investigate your joint and any underlying conditions in more detail
• Check your blood pressure and blood sugar to make sure joint injections are suitable for you
• Explain in more detail how joint injections work, your expected outcome and any potential risks or complications
• Give you an opportunity to discuss your expectations, needs and desires
• Outline a treatment and ongoing support plan that’s tailored to you

When you come in to Spire South Bank Hospital for your joint injection, you’ll:

• Meet your healthcare team
• Have your joint felt and flexed, and possibly have excess fluid removed with a needle if necessary
• Have a thin needle injected into your joint containing the steroid and sometimes an anaesthetic to numb the area

Sometimes, your consultant will use an X-ray machine positioned over your joint to guide the injection. They may also perform more than one joint injection, if necessary.

After your injection, you'll be asked to relax in the waiting area until your consultant is happy for you to go home. This is usually after about half an hour.

It’s normal to feel some discomfort from the injection itself and to have some bruising for a few days afterwards. If you had a local anaesthetic, you may not feel much pain but the effects will wear off in a couple of hours.

Some people notice an improvement in their chronic pain after just a few hours but it can take several days for the injection to become fully effective. You can expect the effects to last for a few weeks up to a year, depending on the type and strength of injection you have.

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