A question many patients ask about knee injections is, “How long will this last?” There is no time frame. How often you need to have it done depends on the type of shot, how bad the arthritis is, your health and how your knee responds to the shot.
What Are Knee Injections Used For?
Non-surgical management: Injections may be considered when knee pain affects function. They may help relieve symptoms temporarily and may help to make exercise or physiotherapy easier.
But injections typically don’t restore severely damaged cartilage.
What Factors Influence How Long the Relief Lasts?
The degree of relief may depend on:
- Extent of cartilage damage
- Injection type
- My answer is subjective
- Activity level
- weightage
- Other joint disorders
- Physical exercise and rehabilitation
A person with early arthritis may react differently than a person with severe joint degeneration.
When to Call Your Doctor Again
If the injection no longer gives you meaningful relief, or if symptoms are gradually affecting your daily routine, contact your orthopedic specialist.
If you find yourself scheduling repeated injections primarily to continue functioning through significant pain, you should also discuss the treatment plan.
What are the other options?
Based on your condition, your doctor might talk about:
- Physical Therapy
- Activities to strengthen
- Medications for weight management
- Change of activity
- Aid to the handicapped
Surgical treatments were indicated
If the arthritis is advanced and conservative treatment is no longer controlling symptoms, knee replacement surgery may be considered.
If you are a patient in search of the best orthopedic surgeon in Indore, do carry along your previous injection history and imaging reports to the consultation. This can help the specialist understand how your symptoms have changed over time.
Don’t Just Focus on the Injection Schedule
The more important question is whether your treatment as a whole is helping you maintain a reasonable level of function. If pain continues to limit walking, stairs, sleep, work or other routine activities, reassessment may be warranted.
Knee injections can be part of the management of arthritis, but their role should be reviewed from time to time. Your treatment plan should be changed if your symptoms, or the findings on examination, or your response to previous treatment changes.
