Cortisone Injection - Manchester & Burnley
What is a Cortisone Injection?
A cortisone injection (termed steroid in the uk) is an anti inflammatory medicine which is injected in the joints or body tissues of the body to relieve pain.
Cortisone injections in the UK come under different brand names such as Kenalog and Depo-Medrone.
These contain the active ingredients Triamcinolone Acetonide and Methylprednisolone Acetate respectively.
The choice of Cortisone is usually dependant on which joint or tissue is being injected or Clinician preference
How do Cortisone Injections work?
An interesting question is why cortisone injections are so effective at relieving pain in many conditions such as Arthritis.
Firstly, Cortisone itself reduces the production of chemicals that cause inflammation. Just by doing this, a Cortisone injection can be classed as an anti inflammatory injection.
Since inflammation often causes redness, swelling and sometimes tissue damage, this process itself is reduced, causing a reduction in tissue damage.
Cortisone injections also decrease pain by stopping the release of chemicals across nerves and the activation (firing up) of local nociceptors. This way they interrupt the pain cycle and play a role in preventing the pain from becoming chronic.
A simple example is the case of Frozen Shoulder. By itself, Frozen Shoulder may take 18-24 months or even longer to get better.
Often a Cortisone injection injected carefully into the shoulder joint may bring the condition under control within weeks and stop the condition becoming chronic and debilitating.
What are Nociceptors?
Nociceptors are pain sensors within the joints and nerves of the body, which often detect and give the body the sensation of pain.
By reducing the signals to these nociceptors, Cortisone injections cause a reduction of sensation, of pain in the body.
In this way pain killing steroid injections aim to break the pain cycle.
As mentioned earlier, Cortisone injections may help when physiotherapy rehab exercises are simply too painful to perform and pain relief is required.
Often in these cases physiotherapy exercises lead to more pain and an abandonment of exercises. These exercises are often important in helping in long term recovery and rehab.
Breaking the pain cycle allows the patient to more effectively perform physiotherapy exercises and hopefully aid in their recovery.
They are used in conditions such as Arthritis, Bursitis, De Quervains Tenosynovitis, Frozen Shoulder, and also injected around tendons in common tendinopathies to give pain control in the first 2-4 weeks.
Are Cortisone Injections safe?
Generally speaking, Cortisone injections are safe.
Some patients may be on medication or have health conditions which may make them unsuitable in view of side effects.
In these cases, we will offer a more suitable alternative. This is often quite rare and most patients are able to have them without any issues.
Here at MyMSK Clinic we work carefully with the patient to decide if its safe or beneficial to have this injection for pain relief.
Often it is and any side effects are discussed with the patient.
The most common side effect may be redness/flushing in the face within a few hours of the injection which may last 48 hours.
This reaction is more common in women and is seen in up to 15% of patients.
What is the maximum number of Cortisone injections I can have?
A maximum of 3 in 12 months if you are deemed suitable (Raynauld et al, 2003).
This also varies with doses used and sometimes in conditions like frozen shoulder we may use a less concentrated mixture. This allows more frequent ‘top ups’ if required in the future, where a series of injections may be required over several months to bring the pain under control.
Dr Inklebarger et al (2017) found low dose cortisone injections in frozen shoulder pain at 8 week intervals caused less glucose fluctuation in diabetic patients. This supports the findings by Dr Keith Bush and Dr John Tanner, who also support the practice of of serial low dose cortisone injections in patients with frozen shoulder which shows a mild response to an initial Cortisone Injection.
With appropriate patient selection in the correct circumstances, Cortisone injections are still one of the best painkillers of choice we have available today.
A cortisone injection in the shoulder , back, knee or other joint is a highly effective anti-inflammatory treatment used for back, knee, or shoulder pain.
Many clinicians refer to a private cortisone injection in the UK as a ‘Steroid’ injection and so it is important not to confuse these highly effective pain relief treatments with the Anabolic steroids that are used by some athletes to cheat.
Cortisone is a very different substance which works differently on the body, not helping to build muscle mass in the way anabolic steroids do, but to reduce swelling and inflammation – most usually in joints.
Similar steroids are used in other anti-inflammatory treatments such as asthma inhalers.
If you are experiencing joint or other tissue pain a cortisone injection may be helpful in managing your pain and discomfort and if you think you would benefit from a private cortisone injection in Manchester, MyMSK Clinic is here to help.
Most people are able to receive this treatment but there are some medications and medical conditions which make it unsuitable for a small number of people.
We will always discuss these issues with you before proceeding with treatment.
How much does a Steroid Injection cost privately UK?
This very much depends on the Clinic or Hospital, your location and the person administering the injection. An additional factor in more recent years has also been whether it is done under image guidance or using anatomical landmarks.
There is a small price difference with prices in the South being slightly higher.
A steroid injection administered in hospital is usually more expensive than one delivered in a Musculoskeletal clinic.
This is because the level of technical skill in administering the injection (not always) may be higher, there are higher associated costs such as hospital room and equipment fees and often imaging equipment may be used for increased accuracy.
If a fluoroscopy machine is used (Xray machine) to guide the needle into the joint in conditions such as advanced Osteoarthritis, then there are also associated costs to go with this.
According to our latest research the cost of a steroid injection privately in hospital is approximately £400-1800 with a variation between hospitals.
The cortisone injection cost privately in clinics again varies between practitioners and disciplines.
Physios in the UK now inject after gaining injections skills with extended training and the cost is approx £150 to £200 in Physio clinics.
A Cortisone injection cost when administered by a doctor in a specialist musculoskeletal clinic is £225-£350 according to our UK based analysis.
The doctor in these clinics will often have undergone extensive training or have a background in orthopaedics to be able to offer these injections. If they are injected under ultrasound guidance then there might be an additional cost.
How Does Treatment work at MyMSK Clinic?
The treatment begins to work immediately, so if you have a cortisone injection in the knee, a cortisone injection for shoulder pain, or an injection in any of your joints you should start to experience relief from discomfort very quickly. The beneficial effects of a cortisone injection in the shoulder, for example, will typically last from several weeks to several months, making the treatment extremely useful for painful chronic conditions such as arthritis.
Do People Experience Side Effects from a Cortisone Injection?
Most people experience no side effects after a cortisone injection. Manchester based patients visiting MyMSK clinic have occasionally reported that there can be some initial pain, and even a little bruising at the site of the injection, but this generally fades quickly and can be treated with an ice-pack, standard painkillers such as paracetamol.
How long Should you Rest after a Cortisone Injection?
If you have received a cortisone injection in the knee, it is best to avoid running. If you have your cortisone injection in your shoulder we would advise refraining from heavy lifting, and so on just until things settle down. It is also a good idea to avoid immersing the treated area in water for a couple of days, so avoid swimming, baths and hot tubs.
A cortisone injection, corticosteroid or steroid is an anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat back, knee or shoulder pain effectively. After a treatment you should rest the treated area for a day or so.
What to Expect at a Private Consultation for a Cortisone Injection?
If you visit our clinic for a cortisone injection in Manchester you will be assessed by one of our dedicated healthcare professionals and offered the steroid best suited to your particular issue. Typically this will be either hydrocortisone, triamcinolone or methylprednisolone. Either way the treatment works by delivering the steroid directly to the affected area – so if you had a cortisone injection on your back, the treatment is concentrated in that area. Wherever the cortisone is working, it achieves its effect by calming down your immune system. This in turn reduces inflammation which causes a decrease in pain and swelling.
The technique for delivering a cortisone injection for shoulder pain or joint pain is simple and straightforward. You will be made comfortable and seated in a position which gives our clinicians easy access to the affected area. If you are receiving a cortisone injection in your back or shoulder you will be asked to sit forwards, if the cortisol injection is for the knee you will be asked to keep it slightly bent and so on. Some patients do experience a little discomfort during the injection process, but the benefits very quickly outweigh this drawback.
- First the Clinician will scan the affected area using a state of the art Ultrasound scanner and also perform physical examinations to diagnose the issue itself.
- Once both the clinician and the patient are comfortable and the Injection has been decided after a discussion, the site of treatment is cleaned and sterilised thoroughly.
- A local anaesthetic is then injected to ensure the procedure is as pain free as possible.
- The desired medicine is then injected under the guidance of ultrasound imaging to make the injection as accurate as possible (This is dependant on the type of Injection).
- Thats it! Once they feel ready the patient is free to go home.
How do I arrange a Cortisone Injection in Manchester?
To arrange a private cortisone injection in Manchester simply email us at admin@mymskclinic.co.uk , call us on 0333 772 9655 or visit our Booking Page. We have a clinic in Deansgate, Manchester and also on Parker Street in Burnley.
Whether you would like a cortisone injection for shoulder pain, or a cortisone injection in your back or in your joints MyMSK Clinic is your clear choice for a more comfortable pain free life.
For a detailed assessment of your suitability for a cortisone injection Call us 0333 772 9655
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