Injection Therapy

Surgery is not always the first or most appropriate step in managing hip and knee pain.

In many cases, carefully selected non-surgical treatments can significantly reduce pain, improve function and help patients return to the activities they enjoy without the need for an operation.

The key is understanding exactly what is causing the symptoms and choosing the most targeted treatment option for each individual.

As a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with specialist training in both orthopaedics and Sports and Exercise Medicine, I place a strong emphasis on accurate diagnosis and conservative management where appropriate.

This dual background allows me to consider not only structural joint problems that may require surgical intervention, but also the broader functional, biomechanical and load-related factors that often contribute to pain and injury.

This is particularly valuable when treating active individuals and sports-related conditions, where managing pain, optimising movement, recovery and load management is just as important as addressing structural change.

Injections can play an important role within this pathway:

• Injections can be a useful diagnostic tool when there is a clinical suspicion but not absolute confirmation as to the cause of joint pain.
• In addition we use injections as therapeutic tools. There are some conditions for which the expected duration of symptoms is limited, or there is advantage to dampening down symptoms to allow a period of exercise rehabilitation, or where injection may be the long term treatment option.

When used appropriately, they can reduce inflammation, improve mobility, support rehabilitation and, in some cases, delay or avoid the need for surgery altogether.

My approach is always selective and evidence-based, ensuring that injections are used as part of a broader treatment plan rather than in isolation, and only when they are likely to provide meaningful benefit for the patient.

Injections are always used with a physiotherapy programme, often to enable patients experiencing pain that is limiting their rehabilitation to be able to re-engage and progress their exercises.