Many of us kick off the New Year with the best of intentions – to improve our health by doing more exercise. But for some people, as much as they want to get fitter, the one thing holding them back is joint pain. If you’re longing to head out for a hike but can’t because of knee pain, you’re having to miss out on playing tennis because of a sore elbow, or you’d like nothing more than a game of golf but an aching shoulder is making you think twice, there may be a solution for you. Whether the cause of your pain is injury, arthritis, or an inflammatory condition, a steroid joint injection at YourGP could effectively reduce that pain. Read on to find out if it could be the answer to your fitness dilemma.

To exercise or not to exercise?

According to Versus Arthritis, around 10 million people in the UK have arthritis and it can be a painful and debilitating condition. It occurs when there are changes to your cartilage, which usually provides cushioning between your joints. This reduced cushioning can create a lot of discomfort when the joint is moved. It’s no wonder then that for many people with arthritis, the thought of exercise and the resulting pain and discomfort is extremely off-putting.

And of course, for anyone who suffers from joint pain, any high-impact exercises that aggravate your pain should be avoided. However, low-impact exercises such as walking, cycling and swimming can really help to improve joint function. It can also help to build healthy cartilage and muscular support around the joints.

For those that need a little help to reduce any pain so they can begin a new gentle exercise routine to build upon, a steroid joint injection could be just what you need.

Your appointment

If you’re suffering from joint pain in your shoulder, elbow, knee or plantar fascia, book an appointment at YourGP. We’ll start with an initial consultation to get a good overview of the history of the problem, do a full examination, assess whether a joint injection is suitable, and decide if an x-ray is required first.

Once we are satisfied that a steroid injection is right for you, we can go ahead and administer it – this appointment usually takes less than 30 minutes.

Your results

You’ll start to feel the effect of the steroid injection anywhere from just a few hours to a few days after your appointment, and the results can last up to several months. However it is important to remember that every patient is different and steroid injections won’t necessarily work for every patient.

Want to know more?

If you would like to talk to a GP and find out if a steroid joint injection is right for you, you can book an appointment by emailing reception@your.gp. Alternatively, you call us on 0131 225 5656 or arrange a call back via our website.