NHS musculoskeletal services have long waits and limited access to corticosteroid injections. Many patients struggle on with pain and reduced function while waiting. We provide same-week assessment and injection for common joint and soft tissue problems — with proper diagnosis, careful technique, and honest discussion of what injections do and don’t achieve.
Educational information — not a substitute for clinical assessment
This page describes joint and soft tissue injections in general terms to help you decide whether assessment may be helpful. It is not a diagnostic tool. If you recognise yourself in what follows, please book a consultation.
Joint and soft tissue injections use a small dose of corticosteroid (a powerful anti-inflammatory medication) often combined with a local anaesthetic, injected directly into the painful joint or soft tissue. The goal is to reduce inflammation, ease pain, and improve function — usually alongside other treatments like physiotherapy or activity modification.
These are NOT cosmetic injections, joint replacements, or cures for underlying degenerative disease. They’re a tool to break the cycle of pain and inflammation, giving you a window of better function to engage with rehabilitation.
of patients have meaningful pain relief from a well-targeted corticosteroid injection. Effect typically begins within 3–7 days and lasts weeks to months.
Most spinal injections (epidural, facet joint) require imaging guidance and are typically done by pain specialists rather than in a GP setting. We refer for these.
Honesty matters here. Injections work well for some things and poorly for others.
Proper injection requires proper diagnosis. We don’t just inject because someone has pain. Assessment includes:
The general process for an in-clinic injection:
The whole procedure usually takes 5–10 minutes once you’re positioned. Total appointment time including assessment is typically 30 minutes for a single area, longer for multiple.
Some injections benefit from ultrasound guidance for accuracy — particularly deeper structures, small joints, or where the anatomy is unclear. We discuss whether this is needed and arrange accordingly. Image-guided injections may be done with our ultrasound colleagues or referred for accordingly.
Most patients walk out and return to normal activity quickly. General after-care:
General principles for corticosteroid injections:
Injection isn’t the only option. Depending on the condition, alternatives include:
We’ll discuss alternatives honestly — sometimes the right step is NOT an injection.
Consider booking if:
Less than people expect. A brief sharp sting as the needle goes through skin, then pressure as the medication goes in. Most patients tolerate it well.
Local anaesthetic component works immediately but lasts hours. The corticosteroid effect begins in 3–7 days and reaches maximum at about 2 weeks.
Current prices are on our Fees page. Costs vary by joint and whether ultrasound guidance is used.
Most UK PMI policies cover joint injections for recognised musculoskeletal conditions. We provide procedure codes. Verify with your insurer.
Depends on the condition. Some respond to a single injection. Some need a series. Some don’t respond at all, and we change tack.
Most side effects are mild and short-lived — temporary pain increase (steroid flare), transient flushing, sleep disturbance, mild blood glucose rise in diabetics. Serious side effects (infection, tendon rupture, significant skin changes) are uncommon with good technique.
Usually yes — depends on which joint is injected. Knee or shoulder injections rarely affect driving. We’ll advise individually.
Tell us at booking. Corticosteroids can transiently raise blood glucose; we may monitor more closely or limit dose. Most diabetics can still have injections safely.
Occasionally. Steroid flare (temporary pain increase) is the most common. Rarely, repeated injections to certain tendons cause weakening. We’re cautious about this.
We generally don’t inject directly into the Achilles or patellar tendon because of rupture risk. There are safer alternative treatments for these conditions.
Care at MHW Clinic is delivered by a small clinical team, with Dr Haydar Bolat as Clinical Director. The specific clinicians involved in your care depend on the plan agreed with you at consultation.
UK-registered GP and Clinical Director at MHW. Performs corticosteroid joint and soft tissue injections including shoulder, knee, trigger finger, tennis elbow and others. Provides comprehensive assessment beforehand and refers to orthopaedics or rheumatology where specialist input is needed.
View profileLanguages spoken across the team: English, Turkish, Bulgarian, Bengali, Hindi, Albanian, Azerbaijani, German, Romanian. We can also arrange professional telephone interpreters in most other languages at no extra cost. More on languages and interpreters →
This page was reviewed by Dr Haydar Bolat, Clinical Director at MHW Clinic. Content is based on NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries on musculoskeletal conditions, British Society for Rheumatology guidance, and current UK clinical practice and current UK clinical practice. It is updated when guidance changes. Educational information only — not a substitute for clinical assessment.
Book a consultation. If injection is appropriate, it can usually be done at the same visit or within a week.