Steroid injection

Hi, I have arthritis in both knees , I had my first injection in my left knee which is the worst one last November which help a great deal, since then my right knee has flared up,I’ve been repeatedly asking the doctor for both knees to be injected but they are saying the Welsh government is stopping them and they are waiting for the new directive on how to do the injection safely, surely with the mass vaccination taking place the vaccine injection procedure is no different from a steroid injection or is it the case they are just holding back the funding for the steroid injections. Has anyone else been refused a steroid injection. Yours thankfully . Phil

Comments

  • Tom
    Tom Member Posts: 522

    Hello, @Phil1. I am sorry to here that you are having problems getting a steroid injection for your right knee, the GP sighting Welsh government restrictions.

    I have not heard of this myself. Unfortunately, our Helpline team is on a days training, but they will be operational tomorrow.

    In the meantime, as this is your first post it has now been moderated and released to the forum, so you may well see comments from others who have had a similar experience.

    Good luck and lets us know how you get on.

    Tom

  • Hi @Phil1,

    Thank you for posting on the helpline forum. I’m sorry you are in pain and cannot currently get the steroid injection treatment you have found helpful in the past. I have provided information below that may be helpful.

    Like Tom, I am not aware of any specific restrictions regarding steroid injections from the Welsh government. However, I believe it is unlikely to be related to funding issues or the procedure itself. I suspect the guidance will be related to the use of steroids during the pandemic, as there may be some extra risks associated with Coronavirus. Current general guidance states that your doctor should only give you a steroid injection if there are no other options for your condition.

    I appreciate that you looking for effective pain management solutions, so I have provided some links below that may be helpful. I wonder, for example, if you are aware of capsaicin cream Phil? This is a drug-free, effective, and very well-tolerated painkiller which is available on the NHS. It works mainly by reducing a pain transmitter in the nerves.  You can read more about it and the randomised controlled trials in which it was given a score of 5/5 for effectiveness for treating pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee by following the link to drugs under management OA of the knee. As you have been refused a steroid injection, you may wish to ask your GP about trying it instead.

    You are very welcome to call us on our freephone helpline: 0800 5200 520 so you can talk things through with one of our helpline team. We can offer more tailored support, especially regarding pain management options you may not have considered.

    I hope this is helpful.

    Best wishes

    Mags

    Helpline Team