Joint pain treatment (joint injections) at Spire Gatwick Park Hospital

Spire Gatwick Park Hospital is a well-established provider of private hospital treatments to patients in Surrey and Sussex. We have many orthopaedic consultants and pain management consultants who can perform joint injections to relieve chronic pain and stiffness.

We offer access to tests, scans and treatment without the wait and easy booking with appointment times to suit you.

Getting here

We're just a few miles from Gatwick Airport, the M25 and M23 motorways, central London and Victoria station are a 30 minute train ride away. We have free parking for you and your guests.

Your consultations

All your consultations will take place in one of our 12 accessible private 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 Gatwick Park 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

In most cases, you'll receive a hydrocortisone joint injection. Hydrocortisone is a steroid which reduces inflammation and relieves pain.

Sometimes, our consultants recommend special platelet-rich plasma injections. The plasma is taken from your own blood, and when injected into your joint, it’s intended to promote cartilage repair and relieves pain and stiffness due to osteoarthritis.

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: