Reviewed byProfessor Paul YF Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDCartilage and joint preservation expertiseThe core approach:
Your outpatient appointment focuses on the injection itself. Afterwards, the priority is keeping the knee quiet and clean.
The first day is about letting the knee settle. Gentle, necessary walking around the home is usually possible; follow your individual instructions.
Avoid strenuous activity while your knee settles.
Return to activity is guided by your personal plan. Improvement may develop gradually over these weeks. Increase activity as advised by your treating team.
Desk work may be possible earlier than work involving standing, kneeling, lifting, climbing or driving. Return to sport depends on your knee, baseline function and any other diagnosis.
Review your symptoms and joint function with your clinician, then agree the next stages of your activity and rehabilitation plan.
Make a plan around the activities that matter to you.
Your return depends on the demands of your role. Discuss a sensible timeframe with your clinician.
Resume when you can safely control your vehicle and perform an emergency stop, without impairment from pain or medicines. Check insurer requirements.
Start with necessary gentle walking, gradually increasing distance as advised.
Avoid strenuous exercise initially. Agree your return to the gym or sport as part of your personal rehabilitation plan.
The same one-page leaflet supplied with your clinic letter: caring for the injection site, activity week by week and when to seek advice. Your personalised clinic instructions take priority.
Download PDFMild temporary discomfort, stiffness or swelling can occur. Reduce load and follow your written advice while it settles. Contact the team for increasing symptoms, including:
Understand side effects and risks →
Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent same-day assessment.
Essential gentle walking is normally possible, but follow the instructions provided on the day. The published cohort protocol advised rest for the first 24 hours and avoiding strenuous activity for 72 hours.
Avoid strenuous activity for the first 72 hours, then increase activity gradually if pain and swelling are settling. Return to strengthening, impact exercise and sport should follow the plan agreed for your knee.
Improvement is not necessarily immediate and may develop over the following weeks. The clinic uses a six-week review to assess the early response. Published group outcomes do not predict the onset, size or duration of an individual response.
Temporary pain, stiffness or swelling can occur. A mild flare should trend towards settling. Increasing pain, heat, redness or swelling—especially with fever, chills or feeling unwell—needs prompt medical advice.
Do not drive until you can enter and leave the vehicle safely, control it fully, make an emergency stop and are not impaired by pain or medication.
