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STEROID INJECTIONS

Steroid (Corticosteroid) Injections

Steroid injections have been a common treatment in medical practice for several years and, when utilised appropriately, can result in significant benefit to patients. The injection works primarily by reducing inflammation and easing pain. Steroid injections will often include a local anaesthetic. You will need to alter your activity after the injection.

 

What are the benefits?

Steroids are a strong anti-inflammatory medicines and while a corticosteroid injection might not cure your problem, however, they effect they have can reduce the symptoms and by breaking the cycle of pain and inflammation permit more freedom of movement and increase the ability to carry out appropriate rehabilitation exercises to allow the body’s natural healing system to function better. Targeted injections allows a higher dose to be delivered at the source of the pain, reducing the risk of more general side-effects associated with longer term alternate methods of administration.

 

Is a Steroid Injection the right treatment right for me?

It is important to acknowledge that Steroid injections do not always have a beneficial effect, therefore an initial assessment by a trained professional is essential. Steroid Injections are most effective when utilised alongside an appropriate rehabilitation program and are commonly used where pain is a limiting factor to progress or when conservative management is slow or has failed. Steroid injections can be helpful in the treatment of a wide range of inflammatory conditions such as:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Tendinopathy
  • Bursitis
  • Frozen Shoulder.

 

How is the Steroid Injection administered?

Steroid injections at ‘Hallamshire Physiotherapy’ are performed by experienced, fully trained physiotherapists. Your clinician will take a detailed history and perform a thorough clinical examination to establish the working diagnosis and consider your suitability to have a steroid injection.

In addition, the clinician will screen for any risk factors and discuss the potential side-effects and complications. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions, and if you would like to proceed then you will be asked to sign a consent form indicating that you feel informed and are happy with everything.The clinician will use a ‘clinically clean’ technique to minimise the risk of infection and use the body’s anatomical landmarks to guide needle placement during the injection.

 

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Cost

A steroid injection administered by ‘Hallamshire Physiotherapy’ will cost £ 200 and this includes the cost of your prescription medication.

You should also be aware of possible side effects and risks when having steroid injections.

These include the following:

  • Pain: you may feel pain at the site of the injection for a couple of days
  • Infection: Pain that starts or continues to worsen after more than 48 hours, redness, localised heat, swelling or fever after an injection could be a sign of an infection. Should you experience any of these symptoms our advice would be for you to seek urgent medical care, however, the risk of infection is less than 1 in 10,000
  • Ruptured tendons: steroid injections may result in damage of tendons
  • Subcutaneous fat wasting: Localised wasting of the fat layer around the tissue can occur with steroid injection
  • Skin changes: The skin can change colour at the site of the injection or thinning of the skin could occur
  • For clients who are diabetic: localised steroid injections can result in the fluctuation of blood sugar levels for up to 3 weeks
  • Hypersensitivity / Allergic reactions: On rare occasions an adverse reaction to the local anaesthetic or steroid may take place. If you feel unwell after you leave the clinic our advice is to seek emergency medical care
  • Bruising: Bleeding into the joint or tissues may occur following an injection
  • Reduced antibody response: Your antibody response will be reduced during steroid treatment
  • Facial flushing: This may occur 24 to 48 hours following an injection but usually settles within a day or two
  • Breast-feeding: The steroids used are unlikely to cause any adverse effects in the breast-fed child, however, there have been some reports of a temporary loss of milk production associated with corticosteroid therapy
  • Corticosteroids may lower your immune system
  • Adrenal insufficiency: Steroids treatment carries the risk of causing systemic corticosteroid effects including Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal suppression. Multiple injections or additional steroid intake increases the risk of adrenal insufficiency
  • Potential psychiatric adverse reactions: Steroids can cause serious mental health problems. These are rare but our advice is that you must talk to a doctor straight away should you develop any changes in your mood
  • It is very important that you are followed up after your injection so that we can assess the effects and give you any additional advice or treatment.
To book an appointment with one of our highly skilled and approachable specialist therapists, call 0114 267 1223

Alternatively, you can email us at info@hallamshirephysiotherapy.com or try our live chat facility at the bottom of the page.
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