The short explanation
Injections into the knee for pain are often steroid injections, and they can be a useful short-term treatment for osteoarthritis or inflammation. Occasional injections are generally considered reasonable, but repeated injections into the same joint at short intervals may harm the cartilage over time, and frequent use can have effects elsewhere in the body, such as raising blood sugar. It is reasonable to ask the clinic exactly what is being injected, how often it is safe to repeat, and whether other treatments, such as physiotherapy and strengthening exercises, could reduce your need for injections.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Doctors usually limit how many steroid injections are given into one joint in a year. If injections are needed very often, it may be time to review the overall treatment plan.
- People with diabetes may notice higher sugar levels for some days after a steroid injection.
- Steroid injections should be given in clean conditions by a trained doctor, because there is a small risk of joint infection.
- Some unregulated clinics give injections without explaining what they contain. Keep a record of each injection.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This answer cannot tell what was injected or whether it has affected your knee. Your treating doctor can review this.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- What exactly is in the injection I am receiving?
- How many injections are safe in a year?
- What other treatments can reduce my knee pain?
- Should my bone health or sugar levels be checked?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department if your knee becomes hot and swollen with high fever and you feel very unwell after an injection.
Get help the same day
- Get care the same day if your knee becomes hot, red and swollen after an injection.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Book a routine appointment with an orthopaedic doctor to review your knee treatment.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Osteoarthritis NHS
- Osteoarthritis MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
- Osteoporosis MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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