Cortisone (steroid) injections

What are cortisone injections?

Cortisone injections contain a powerful anti-inflammatory medication that is injected directly into the knee joint to reduce swelling and pain.

Benefits

• Fast pain relief, often within days
• Reduces inflammation and swelling
• Helpful during arthritis flare-ups
• Widely used and well-understood treatment
• Can be repeated

Limitations

• Relief is usually temporary, lasting weeks to a few months
• Repeated injections may become less effective over time
• Too many injections may affect cartilage health

Cortisone injections are often used for short-term symptom control rather than a long-term solution but are suitable for patients who do not wish to consider surgery. They are not considered to modify or reverse disease progression in arthritis.