06/12/2025

There are so many different options to choose from when picking a joint injection to help relieve your pain and stiffness, it can become a little overwhelming.

At Peak Physio and Injection, we specialise in different types of injection which help to improve your quality of life and get you moving more comfortably!

If you are considering an injection, there are normally 2 different options: 

Steroid or hyaluronic acid (HA) injections. 

Lets delve into them:

Steroid injections are powerful anti-inflammatory medicines which can be injected directly into your knee to calm down your symptoms (1). They work very fast and if you’re struggling with a grumpy, swollen joint, they can be very effective. However, its worth remembering that they normally only last a few months and long term, they tend to be less effective if used repeatedly (3). 

HA is a substance which is naturally found in healthy joints which helps to lubricate and cushion the joint. In osteoarthritis, this lubrication is lost. Therefore, the relief from HA, although it takes longer to work than steroid, can last for many more months and prevents flare ups (2).

The disadvantages are that they are more expensive, and the more arthritis you have, the less effective they become (2).

We offer steroid and HA injections in Bradwell and Buxton clinics and we can talk you through all the options in relation to your specific symptoms and goals.

If you have any questions, please reach out via the website contact us page!

 James Dunnachie

References: 

1. Bannuru, R. R., Natov, N. S., Obadan, I. E., Price, L. L., Schmid, C. H., & McAlindon, T. (2011). Therapeutic trajectory of hyaluronic acid versus corticosteroids in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 63(12), 3838–3847 

2. Migliore, A., Massafra, U., Tormenta, S., & Punzi, L. (2015). Hyaluronic acid compared with corticosteroid injections for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. 

3. Jüni, P., Hari, R., Rutjes, A. W., & Reichenbach, S. (2015). Intra-articular corticosteroid injections for osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.