Joint Injections

A steroid or cortisone injection is an anti-inflammatory which is used to treat pain. The medication is injected directly into the lesion for maximal effectiveness. The procedure itself takes a few seconds and many are surprised how painless it is. It takes between 2-3 days to take affect and continues to work for the next 6 weeks or so. Each person and condition is different but injections can last between 3-6 months on average but a lot longer if used in conjunction with physiotherapy.

Hyaluronic acid injections work by reducing the friction in a joint and providing some level of cushioning. It is a natural product which has much fewer side effects than steroid injections and no known interactions with any other drugs. It takes longer to work but can last up to 12-18 months. There is growing evidence that it can be very effective in treating arthritis in the knee, there is some emerging evidence for the shoulder joint also.