How Do Steroid Injections Work? A Guide to Pain Relief and Joint Health
Is joint pain getting in the way of your daily life? Steroid injections can offer fast-acting relief and help you get back to the activities you love. If you’re struggling with arthritis pain, knee pain, or hip pain, these injections can help reduce inflammation and restore mobility.
Let’s explore how steroid injections work, what to expect, and how they fit into your joint pain relief plan.
What Are Steroid Injections?
Steroid injections are a powerful anti-inflammatory medication that are injected directly into the affected joint. The goal is to reduce the discomfort and swelling that comes from inflammation in the joint—commonly seen with conditions like arthritis.
These injections are often used by orthopedic doctors to manage joint pain and inflammation in the hips, knees, shoulders, and other joints. Steroid injections provide more direct and effective joint relief.
How Do They Work?
The body’s immune system responds to injury or wear and tear in a joint by causing inflammation. Over time, this can lead to pain, stiffness, and limited mobility. Steroid injections interrupt this process.
As Dr. Harris, one of our orthopedic surgeons at San Antonio Orthopaedic Specialists, explains:
"The concept of a steroid injection is that there is some inflammation in the joint, and the inflammatory mediators, the chemicals that transmit the signals to say that this is inflamed, can be knocked down by putting an anti-inflammatory into the joint."
By doing this steroid injections offer pain relief and allow the joint to move more freely. This can be helpful for patients with arthritis.
What to Expect from a Steroid Injection
The injection is quick and is performed in-office by one of our orthopedic experts. Patients often experience relief within a few days—the timing and duration of results can vary.
As Dr. Harris puts it:
"People will ask me, 'Well, how long should it last?' Well, there's no good answer to that, but we use the answer to how long did it last to help to find the next step."
In other words, your response to the procedure can help your physician determine what treatment options to explore next.
Are Steroid Injections Right for You?
Steroid injections are often recommended for patients who:
Have moderate to severe joint pain.
Are not ready for surgery.
Need temporary relief to stay active or complete physical therapy.
Experience pain due to arthritis, bursitis, or other inflammatory joint conditions.
However, steroid injections are not a long-term cure. If pain returns frequently or does not improve, your orthopedic surgeon may discuss other options like physical therapy, regenerative medicine, or joint replacement surgery.
Talk to an Orthopedic Surgeon
If you’re living with constant knee pain, hip pain, or discomfort related to arthritis, scheduling an appointment with an orthopedic specialist can help you explore whether joint injections are a good fit for your needs. At San Antonio Orthopaedic Specialists, Dr. Harris and the team at SAOS use advanced, patient-centered approaches to guide you toward lasting joint pain relief.
