Private Cortisone & Steroid Joint Injections in Eastleigh & Southampton

Shoulder ultrasound assessment for shoulder pain at Physio Soton in Southampton

Table of Contents

Why Choose Physio Soton for Steroid Injections?

Choosing where to have your injection matters; accuracy, clinical reasoning, and access all influence your results.

Ultrasound-Guided Precision: All injections are performed under ultrasound guidance, ensuring accurate placement for better outcomes and reduced risk.

No Waiting Times: Skip long NHS delays and get assessed and treated without unnecessary waiting.

Same-Day Appointments Available: In many cases, you can be assessed and receive your injection on the same day, helping you start your recovery sooner.

No GP Referral Required: You can book directly with us; no need to wait for a GP appointment or referral.

Affordable Initial Consultation: Injection consultations cost just £60, giving you expert advice before you commit to treatment.

Evidence-Based & Patient-Focused Care: Our approach follows guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, ensuring injections are only used when appropriate.

Modern clinic for ultrasound-guided joint injections and scans
Physio-Soton Clinic and ultrasound-guided injections – Eastleigh & Southampton

Your first step: assessment before any injection

At Physio Soton in Eastleigh, we provide private cortisone injections for Southampton and Hampshire patients, as well as ultrasound-guided steroid joint injections that relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and improve joint mobility. Patients visit us from Eastleigh, Southampton, Winchester, Romsey, Portsmouth, and across South England. Every cortisone injection is performed by an independent prescriber.

We never inject first and ask questions later. The starting point is an appointment: we examine your injury and often recommend an ultrasound examination first, because seeing the joint or tendon tells us far more about what we’re dealing with. An injection is only recommended when our clinical findings and your symptoms genuinely point to it as your best option.

Is a cortisone injection right for you?

It depends on where your pain comes from and how it affects your life. Inflammation-driven pain in a joint or bursa often responds very well; some tendon problems respond better to exercise rehabilitation or shockwave. That’s exactly what the £60 consultation answers honestly, and with no obligation to proceed.

You’ll have full time to decide after speaking to us and reading the information sheet below, and we’ll ask you to complete the consent form before any procedure.

How much does a private cortisone injection cost?

A private cortisone injection at our clinic serving Southampton and Eastleigh starts from £250, with a £60 consultation first. The price includes real-time ultrasound guidance as standard, not as an extra.

Costs may increase if additional procedures are required, such as fluid aspiration, and we offer other injection types too. See the full injection prices or contact us for a personalised quote.

What happens at your cortisone injection appointment

  • Consultation (£60). We take your history, examine the joint, and discuss whether an injection is genuinely the right step or whether physiotherapy at our Eastleigh clinic would serve you better first.
  • Ultrasound scan. Where helpful, we scan the joint or tendon there and then, so the diagnosis is confirmed before any needle is involved.
  • The injection. Performed under ultrasound guidance with local anaesthetic, after you’ve read the information sheet and signed consent. The appointment usually lasts around 30 minutes.
  • Observation and aftercare. You stay for a 15-minute observation period, leave with written aftercare advice, and can contact us directly with any concerns.

How does a cortisone injection compare with other injections?

TreatmentBest suited toReliefPrice
Cortisone (steroid) injectionInflammation, osteoarthritis flare-ups, bursitisSeveral weeks, often up to 3 monthsfrom £250
Hyaluronic acid injectionKnee osteoarthritis, especially younger patientsTends to last longer than steroidfrom £350
Arthrosamid injectionKnee osteoarthritis needing long-lasting reliefDesigned as a long-lasting, single-treatment optionSee price list
ProlotherapyChronic tendon, ligament and joint painBuilds over a course of treatmentsSee price list

For chronic tendon problems such as plantar fasciitis or tennis elbow, shockwave therapy is also a non-injection alternative. Not sure which option fits your problem? That’s what the consultation is for.

Our Patients' Experiences

Here’s what patients from Southampton, Eastleigh and beyond say about their injection treatment with us:

FAQs – Cortisone & Steroid Joint Injections

Are steroid joint injections safe?

Yes, when performed by an experienced clinician under ultrasound guidance, as all injections at Physio Soton are, cortisone injections are safe and effective. We limit them to what’s clinically appropriate, because excessive repeat injections can damage cartilage.

Most side effects are mild and short-lived: soreness for 2–3 days (sometimes called a “cortisone flare”), temporary facial flushing, or slight skin lightening at the injection site. People with diabetes may notice a brief rise in blood sugar. Serious complications such as joint infection are extremely rare; every injection here is carried out in a sterile, controlled environment.

You may feel immediate relief for a few hours from the local anaesthetic. The steroid itself takes effect over the following days, with the full benefit usually felt within 1–2 weeks.

Most patients get relief for several weeks, often up to three months and sometimes longer, when the injection is combined with physiotherapy and exercise. Your clinician will give you an honest expectation for your specific condition before treatment.

Usually yes. If the local anaesthetic leaves the limb feeling numb or weak, most relevant after knee, hip or foot injections, wait until it wears off. The 15-minute observation period is a good time to judge this with us.

Steroid injections help reduce sharp pain, especially when it interferes with daily activity or sleep. They are commonly used to treat:

We follow NICE guidelines, using corticosteroid injections only as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that may include physiotherapy, exercise, or alternative therapies. If you’re weighing up a cortisone injection against other options, we’ll talk you through the evidence for your specific joint.

Yes, a cortisone injection can reduce inflammation, improve mobility, and in many cases delay surgery. Where there’s excess joint fluid, we often aspirate (remove) it first, which further reduces pressure and pain. For joint-specific options, see our dedicated knee injection clinic.

Cortisone injections deliver a corticosteroid, a synthetic version of hormones your adrenal glands produce naturally, directly into the inflamed joint or soft tissue, alongside a local anaesthetic. The steroid suppresses the inflammatory response (“putting out the fire”), which means less pain, less swelling and better range of motion. Delivering it under ultrasound guidance matters: unguided injections can miss the intended target, which is why every private steroid injection at our clinic is image-guided as standard.

Repetition should be limited: we recommend no more than three cortisone injections per year in the same joint, to protect the cartilage.

Most patients report only mild discomfort. Local anaesthetic is used, and ultrasound guidance means the needle goes exactly where intended, first time.

All major joints and soft tissues: shoulder, knee, hip, elbow, wrist and ankle. See our ultrasound-guided shoulder injections and hip injection service for joint-specific details. An ultrasound scan first confirms the cause of your pain, so the right structure is treated.

We typically use Depo-Medrone (methylprednisolone), the licensed UK standard for joint and soft-tissue injections. Kenalog (triamcinolone), widely used for many years, was discontinued in the UK in mid-2025. Your clinician will explain exactly what is being used and why before any injection.

At Physio Soton, 297 High Street, Eastleigh, around 15 minutes from Southampton. No GP referral is needed; same-day assessment, scan and injection are often possible, and we’re open Monday–Friday 10 am–8 pm and Saturday 10 am–3 pm.

Book your cortisone injection consultation in Eastleigh

If persistent joint pain is limiting your day, your sleep or your activity, don’t wait months for a referral. We welcome patients from across Hampshire seeking a private cortisone injection in Southampton, Winchester, Romsey, Portsmouth and beyond.

£60 consultation · injections from £250 · no GP referral · same-day treatment often possible

023 8218 2416 | Book online (existing booking button) | Open Mon–Fri 10 am–8 pm, Sat 10 am–3 pm

About the author

Marek Czeladzki is a chartered physiotherapist (HCPC and CSP registered), independent prescriber (IP), and musculoskeletal sonographer – a member of both the British Medical Ultrasound Society and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Marek completed studies in ultrasound-guided injections for joints and soft tissues at the University of Essex. He also completed intensive studies in myoskeletal therapy. He treats patients with spinal, joint and muscle injuries, including sports injuries.

Links

We follow evidence-based practice for steroid injections. For more information, please see the links below to independent clinical studies and guidelines.

Steroid injections – NHS

Evidence suggests that intraarticular corticosteroids are effective (short term) and safe (long term) – PMC

Rationale and impact | Osteoarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE

References

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  2. Guermazi A, Hunter DJ, Kloppenburg M. Debate: Intra-articular steroid injections for      osteoarthritis – harmful or helpful? Osteoarthritis Imaging [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Dec 15]; 3(3). Available from: org/10.1016/j.ostima.2023.100163.
  3. Cheng OT, Souzdalnitski D, Vrooman B, Cheng J. Evidence-based knee injections for the management of arthritis. Pain Med.[Internet]. 2012 Jun [cited 2024 Dec 15]; 13(6):740-753. Available from: doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2012.01394.x.
  1. Testa G, Giardina SMC, Culmone A, Vescio A, Turchetta M, Cannavò S, Pavone V. Intra-Articular Injections in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Review of Literature. J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. [Internet] 2021 [cited 2024 Dec 17]; 6(15). Available from: doi.org/10.3390/jfmk6010015
  1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Osteoarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management [Internet]. London: NICE; 2022 [cited 2025 Jan 20]. [NG226]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226/
  2. Spinner DA, Kirschner JS, Herrera JE. Atlas of Ultrasound Guided Musculoskeletal Injections. New York, NY: Springer (Musculoskeletal Medicine); 2014.
  1. Smith MK, Lesniak B, Baraga MG, Kaplan L, Jose J. Treatment of popliteal (Baker) cysts with ultrasound-guided aspiration, fenestration, and injection: long-term follow-up. Sports Health [Internet]. 2015 Sep-Oct [cited 2024 Dec 26]; 7(5):409-14. Available from: doi: 10.1177/1941738115585520.
  1. Jackson DW, Evans NA, Thomas BM. Accuracy of needle placement into the intra-articular space of the knee. J Bone Joint Surg Am. [Internet]. 2002 Sep [cited 2024 Dec 28]; 84(9):1522-1527. Available from: doi: 10.2106/00004623-200209000-00003.
  1. Buyuk AF, Kilinc E, Camurcu IY, Camur S, Ucpunar H, Kara A. Compared efficacy of intra-articular injection of methylprednisolone and triamcinolone. Acta Ortop Bras [Internet]. 2017 Sep-Oct [cited 2024 Dec 20]; 25(5):206-208. Available from: doi: 10.1590/1413-785220172505172581.

 

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