What to expect from a cortisone injection for knee osteoarthritis

A clinician places corticosteroid medicine into the knee joint, sometimes with numbing medicine. The appointment usually includes a symptom review, examination, skin cleaning, and injection. The needle may cause brief pressure or a sharp sensation. Pain can be temporarily more noticeable after the numbing effect fades. The anti-inflammatory effect may take time to appear, and some people notice little change. The injection is intended to calm inflammation and make movement easier; it cannot rebuild worn cartilage or correct every source of knee pain.

Tell the clinician about diabetes, blood-thinning medicine, allergies, fever, skin infection, or a previous reaction to an injection. Follow the specific instructions you receive about medicines and activity. Afterward, keep the area clean and avoid strenuous loading of the knee for the advised period. Gentle movement is often useful once comfortable, while an ice pack wrapped in cloth may ease soreness. Arrange follow-up if pain remains limiting, so exercise, weight-bearing advice, braces, or other treatments can be considered alongside the injection.

Contact the treating service promptly for increasing redness, warmth, swelling, drainage, fever, or pain that becomes severe rather than settling. Seek urgent help for trouble breathing, facial swelling, fainting, or a rapidly worsening allergic reaction. A sudden inability to bear weight, a locked knee, or new numbness also deserves prompt assessment.

Ask which part of the knee is being treated, when improvement might be noticed, what activity limits apply, and what alternatives are suitable if relief is short-lived. Ask how your other medicines or health conditions affect preparation and follow-up.