When joint or tendon pain starts to limit your movement or affect daily comfort, it is natural to explore treatment options that provide effective and lasting relief. Two commonly recommended options are steroid injections and hyaluronic acid injections.
Both can be performed with precision under ultrasound guidance at The London Ultrasound Clinic, ensuring accuracy, comfort, and confidence in your care.
Understanding Steroid Injections
Steroid injections are powerful anti-inflammatory treatments that target the source of pain inside or around a joint or tendon. By reducing inflammation, they help ease stiffness, swelling, and discomfort, allowing you to move more freely.
At our clinic, ultrasound-guided steroid injections are frequently used for conditions such as:
- Shoulder bursitis
- Frozen shoulder
- Trigger finger
- Knee arthritis
- Plantar fasciitis
Relief can begin within a few days and may last several weeks or months depending on the condition. Steroid injections are carefully managed to avoid affecting tissue quality over time, and repeat injections are only performed when clinically appropriate.
Understanding Hyaluronic Acid Injections
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in healthy joint fluid, where it lubricates and cushions the joint. In osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, this fluid can thin, reducing shock absorption and causing pain and stiffness.
Hyaluronic acid injections restore the jointâs natural lubrication, helping to improve movement and reduce friction. Unlike steroids, hyaluronic acid does not act as an anti-inflammatory. It enhances the jointâs mechanical environment, making it ideal for patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis who wish to maintain activity and delay more invasive treatments.
Which Injection Is Right for You?
Choosing between a steroid injection and a hyaluronic acid injection depends on your diagnosis, the presence of inflammation, and your treatment goals.
- Steroid injection: May provide faster relief if your pain is due to acute inflammation or a sudden flare-up.
- Hyaluronic acid injection: Better suited if symptoms stem from degenerative changes and you are seeking sustained comfort and improved joint function.
- Combination approach: In some cases, a steroid is given first to calm inflammation, followed by hyaluronic acid to improve joint lubrication and mobility.
Your clinician will guide you through the most suitable approach based on your ultrasound findings and clinical presentation.
The Role of Ultrasound Guidance
Every injection at The London Ultrasound Clinic is performed under real-time ultrasound guidance. This ensures that the medication is delivered precisely where it is needed, maximising effectiveness and minimising discomfort.
Our clinicians are experienced in musculoskeletal ultrasound and ultrasound-guided injection therapy. We provide self-paying patients with a fast, reliable, and expert-led pathway to relief.
References
- McAlindon TE et al. OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2014;22(3):363â388.
- Bannuru RR et al. Comparative effectiveness of pharmacologic interventions for knee osteoarthritis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162(1):46â54.
- Wernecke C et al. The effect of intra-articular corticosteroids on articular cartilage. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015;3(5):2325967115581163.
- Bowman S et al. Hyaluronic acid: a potential therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Clin Interv Aging. 2018;13:295â311.
- Uthman I et al. Intra-articular therapy in osteoarthritis. Postgrad Med J. 2003;79(934):449â453.