Joint and soft-tissue steroid injections (Corticosteroid injection for joints and soft tissues)

What is a joint or soft-tissue steroid injection?

A steroid injection puts a corticosteroid medicine — often mixed with a local anaesthetic — directly into or around a painful joint or soft tissue, such as a shoulder, knee, hip bursa, tennis elbow or the base of the thumb. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medicines; they are not the same as the muscle-building steroids some people misuse.

By reducing inflammation, the injection can ease pain and stiffness and make movement and exercise easier for a while. It does not cure the underlying problem, and the relief is usually temporary — it can last from a few days to several months, and varies a lot from person to person. Some people get little benefit.

Injections are often most useful as part of a wider plan, for example to reduce pain enough to do physiotherapy or rehabilitation. There is a sensible limit to how often they are given in the same place, because repeated injections carry more risk to nearby tissues.

This guide explains what to expect, the honest benefits and risks, and how to use injections wisely. It is not advice to have an injection — that depends on your diagnosis and what you want to achieve.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your procedure

• Be clear on the diagnosis and what the injection is meant to achieve, and discuss the alternatives.
• Tell the clinician about diabetes (steroids can raise blood sugar for a few days), any infection, bleeding problems or blood-thinning medicines, and allergies.
• Mention if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have had many steroid injections before.
• Wear clothing that gives easy access to the area being injected.
• Plan to rest the joint or soft tissue for a day or two afterwards and avoid heavy use or sport.
• Arrange how you will get home; you can usually drive, but ask if a weight-bearing joint is injected.
• Ask how long relief might last and how this fits with physiotherapy or other treatment.

What happens

The clinician examines the area, cleans the skin, and may numb it. They insert a fine needle into the joint or soft tissue, sometimes using ultrasound to guide it, and inject the steroid (often with local anaesthetic). The injection itself takes only a few minutes, though you may feel pressure or a brief ache.

Afterwards you rest for a short while, and the clinician checks you are well. Any local anaesthetic may give quick relief that wears off within hours, before the steroid begins to work over the next few days. You are usually advised to rest the area for a day or two and avoid heavy use.

The clinician explains what is normal, what to watch for, and when relief might be expected, along with how the injection fits into your wider treatment plan.

Is this procedure right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Comfort, sedation or contrast choices

If local anaesthetic, sedation, contrast or pain relief is used, ask what is planned, why, and what it means afterwards.

The biggest things to weigh are that relief is usually temporary and varies a lot, and that repeated injections in the same place can weaken tendons and other tissues, so there is a limit to how many you should have. A short flare of pain in the first day or two is common and settles. The rare but serious risk is infection in the joint: hot, increasingly painful, swollen joint with feeling unwell needs urgent assessment. If you have diabetes, expect your blood sugar to rise for a few days. Ask how many injections are reasonable and how this fits with rehabilitation.

Published figures to discuss

How much a steroid injection helps, and for how long, varies widely with the condition, the site and the person, so success cannot be given as a single figure. Most adverse effects are local and short-lived, such as a flare of pain or flushing; serious problems such as joint infection are rare. Where a defensible figure exists it is given below; otherwise effects are described qualitatively to avoid implying false precision.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

There is little physical recovery after the injection itself. Most people go home straight away and rest the area for a day or two while the steroid begins to take effect.

• A short flare of increased pain for a day or two
• Warmth or flushing of the face for a day or two
• Mild soreness or bruising at the injection site
• Higher blood sugar readings for a few days if you have diabetes
• Gradual easing of pain over the following week or two

Aftercare

• Rest the injected area for a day or two and avoid heavy use or vigorous exercise.
• Use simple painkillers such as paracetamol for any flare if you can take them.
• If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar more closely for a few days.
• Watch for signs of infection: a hot, increasingly painful, swollen joint with fever or feeling unwell.
• Use any relief you get to progress with physiotherapy or rehabilitation.
• Keep a note of which area was injected and the date, so the number of injections is tracked.
• Go back if the injection did not help, or if pain returns, to discuss next steps.

• Plan to rest the area for a day or two
• Simple painkillers at home
• Blood glucose monitoring plan if you have diabetes
• Note of the site injected and the date
• Physiotherapy or rehabilitation plan to follow
• Clinic contact number for problems
• Know the warning signs of joint infection

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• A hot, increasingly painful, red or swollen joint, especially with fever or feeling unwell (possible infection — seek urgent help)
• A high temperature in the days after the injection
• Severe or worsening pain that is not settling after a few days
• Spreading redness or discharge at the injection site
• Sudden loss of strength or function, or a snapping sensation, in the injected area (possible tendon rupture)
• A severe allergic reaction such as a widespread rash, swelling or breathing difficulty (call 999)
• Very high blood sugars if you have diabetes

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your GP gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A good result is reduced pain and easier movement for a useful period, ideally long enough to make progress with rehabilitation. The local anaesthetic may give early relief, with the steroid effect building over a few days.

Results are not guaranteed: some people get months of relief, others only a little or none, and the effect usually wears off because the injection treats inflammation rather than curing the underlying problem. Whether and when to repeat depends on how much it helped and the limits on repeated injections.

Relief from a steroid injection is temporary and varies widely — from a few days to several months. It does not cure the underlying condition, so symptoms often return. Injections can be repeated if they helped, but there is a limit to how many should be given in the same place because repeated injections can weaken tendons and other tissues; your clinician will advise on sensible spacing and numbers.

Related tests, treatments or support

Steroid injections are often combined with physiotherapy or rehabilitation, using the period of relief to build strength and movement. They may be used alongside painkillers, activity changes and, for some conditions, other treatments. For a weight-bearing joint with advanced arthritis, an injection may be one step in a longer plan that could eventually include surgery.

Follow-up & long-term care

You should be told what to expect, when relief might come, and how the injection fits with the rest of your treatment. A review may be arranged to see how well it worked and to plan rehabilitation or further steps. You can return sooner if it did not help, if pain returns, or if you have any warning signs. The number and timing of any repeat injections should be tracked.

• Continue physiotherapy or rehabilitation exercises to make the most of the relief.
• Keep a record of which areas have been injected and how often.
• Manage activity, weight and other factors that affect the underlying condition.
• Review with a clinician before repeating, to stay within sensible limits.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• An injection can be repeated if it helped and the effect wore off, within sensible limits on number and spacing.
• Little or no benefit may prompt a change of plan rather than another injection.
• Repeated injections into the same site carry more risk to tendons and other tissues.
• For some conditions, ongoing pain despite injections leads to consideration of other treatments or surgery.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• Clear advice on what is normal, the flare to expect, and warning signs of infection.
• A named contact route if problems arise.
• A plan linking the injection to physiotherapy or rehabilitation.
• A record of the site and date, and sensible spacing of any repeat.
• A review to check whether it helped and decide next steps.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether you use the NHS or a private clinic.
• Who gives the injection — GP, physiotherapist, rheumatologist or other specialist.
• Whether ultrasound guidance is used.
• The number of areas injected and whether more than one session is needed.
• The clinic facility fee and the medicine used.
• Any associated assessment, scan or physiotherapy.

• The clinician and facility fees for the injection.
• Whether ultrasound guidance is included or extra.
• Whether more than one injection or area is planned, and the cost of each.
• Whether any assessment, scan or physiotherapy is included.
• What follow-up is provided to review the result.
• What happens, and any cost, if the injection does not help or needs repeating.

On the NHS? Steroid injections are available on the NHS when clinically appropriate; people use private clinics mainly for quicker access or for specialist or ultrasound-guided injection.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the GP is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the GP who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good GP will welcome every one of these.

• What is the diagnosis, and what should this injection achieve for me?
• How long might the relief last, and what are the chances it does not help?
• How many injections is it sensible to have here, and how far apart?
• How does this fit with physiotherapy or other treatment?
• What are the risks for me, including any effect on my diabetes if relevant?
• What warning signs should make me seek urgent help afterwards?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the GP who carries out my procedure, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this procedure not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified GP for joint and soft-tissue steroid injections

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Steroid injections NHS — Hydrocortisone injections (joints and soft tissue) Versus Arthritis — Steroid injections NICE CKS — Osteoarthritis

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.