Joint pain treatment (joint injections) at The Montefiore Hospital

At The Montefiore Hospital, rheumatologists, orthopaedic consultants and radiologists perform joint injections to help relieve chronic pain and stiffness. Located in the heart of Hove, you can expect safe, high-quality care and we’re extremely proud to be rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

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

Getting here

The Montefiore Hospital is approximately a 15 minute walk or a five minute taxi journey from both Hove and Brighton railway stations.

Your consultations

All your consultations will take place in one of our eight 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 The Montefiore 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 ultrasound or 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.

If you have cartilage damage, your consultant may recommend platelet-rich plasma injections. Platelets in the plasma (which is extracted from your own blood) are intended to promote cartilage repair in your joint, helping to relieve pain and stiffness, often due to osteoarthritis.

After your injection, you’ll be taken to a recovery room to relax 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: