Joint pain treatment (joint injections) at Spire Bushey Hospital

Spire Bushey is one of North London and Hertfordshire’s leading private hospitals and we take pride in delivering high-quality care. We have many dedicated rheumatologists, orthopaedic consultants and radiologists who can perform joint injections to relieve chronic pain and stiffness.

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

Getting here

Spire Bushey Hospital and Spire Bushey Diagnostic Centre are situated within easy access to the M1/M25 motorways, underground and overground train stations.

We have free parking on both sites for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

Your initial consultation will take place at Spire Bushey Diagnostic centre which offers the latest facilities and diagnostics. All of our rooms are accessible, making things easier if you have difficulty walking.

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

Knee pain, shoulder pain and hip pain are common symptoms that may be improved with joint injections, especially joint pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Here’s what will happen on the day of your joint injection:

• You’ll meet your healthcare team
• If agreed with your consultant beforehand, you’ll be given a sedative so you feel calm
• Your consultant will feel and flex your joint and may draw out fluid with a needle if necessary
• Your consultant will insert a thin needle into your joint to inject the steroid, which may be mixed with a local anaesthetic to numb the area
• Your consultant may use an X-ray machine positioned over your joint as a guide for the injection
• They may make more than one injection, if appropriate

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 - 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: