Knee pain can result from arthritis, injury, inflammation, or post-surgical changes. A knee joint injection involves delivering a small amount of local anaesthetic and an anti-inflammatory steroid directly into the joint space. This helps to calm inflammation, reduce stiffness, and provide temporary pain relief, allowing you to move more comfortably and participate in physiotherapy.
We generally see greater benefit from genicular nerve blocks. These are a more advanced pain relief procedure, and have the benefit that if they work, but a longer term solution is required, radiofrequency denervation of these nerves can be done. This involves applying heat to the nerves with a special needle, in effect burning them and removing their ability to carry pain from the knee. Genicular nerve blocks usually cause less of a pain flair up that is often seen for knee joint injections.
Genicular knee injections do not target the joint itself, instead they target the small sensory nerves that carry pain signals from the knee. This can be especially helpful for patients with persistent knee pain who have already had surgery, or for those not suitable for further surgical intervention.
Both treatments are carried out using image guidance to ensure the injection is placed precisely and safely.
These are outpatient procedures performed by your consultant under ultrasound or X-ray guidance. A local anaesthetic is used to keep you comfortable during the injection. The procedure itself usually takes just a few minutes.
Sedation can be arranged for procedures performed in theatre, under the care of a consultant anaesthetist. Sedation is not available for treatments carried out in clinic, but if you would prefer this option, your procedure can be scheduled in theatre.
After the injection, you will rest briefly before going home the same day. Mild soreness around the injection site is common for a day or two.
Driving advice: You should not drive that day if receiving any sedation. Our procedures do vary on whether it is possible to drive home yourself. Please seek advice from your consultant about driving advice. If you are seeing us for an injection and planning to drive, please check with us beforehand about whether it will be possible to drive yourself home afterwards.
Results vary between individuals and cannot be guaranteed. Your consultant will discuss whether this procedure is appropriate for you.
At Wessex Pain Clinic, we work as a team and meet regularly to discuss complex, treatment resistant or unusual cases. As such you will often receive the expertise of several pain consultants. We believe that we are one of very few pain clinics to offer this. Wessex Pain Clinic provides consultant-led assessment and treatment for acute and chronic pain conditions. Our multidisciplinary team includes Consultant Pain Specialists, Physiotherapists and Psychologists, offering evidence-based interventions alongside rehabilitation and self-management support. We welcome patients from across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Surrey and Sussex, including Winchester, Basingstoke, Southampton, Portsmouth, and Chichester â with both in-clinic appointments and remote consultations available across the wider Wessex region.
Our friendly team is on hand to support you every step of the way. Please get in touch at any time.
