{"id":39437,"date":"2026-05-26T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=39437"},"modified":"2026-06-04T21:08:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:08:02","slug":"knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

After many years of wear and tear, knee pain often becomes more common as we get older. Most knee pain in people over 50, unless caused by a sudden injury, is due to osteoarthritis \u2014 a gradual thinning of cartilage within the knee joint. Cartilage allows the bones to smoothly glide across each other. As the cartilage layer thins or becomes pock-mocked, the joint surface can become inflamed from the friction, leading to stiffness and pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a person has a pain flare-up, ideally, the body\u2019s immune system calms it down on its own with time and rest,\u201d says Jason Lippman, MD,<\/a> with MultiCare Orthopedics & Sports Medicine \u2013 Good Samaritan<\/a>. \u201cOral medications and physical therapy can also help settle the irritation.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when time, rest, physical therapy or anti-inflammatory medicines don\u2019t help relieve chronic pain, injectable therapy might be the next step.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith targeted injections, we put a medication directly inside the joint,\u201d explains Dr. Lippman. \u201cThis has a direct impact on bone and cartilage surfaces and other tissues involved in chronic pain and the inflammatory process.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there isn\u2019t a structural injury that requires surgery, trying an injection is a reasonable approach to managing pain.<\/p>\n

The three most common injection options<\/h2>\n

1. Corticosteroid injections<\/h3>\n

Liquid corticosteroid injections, often known as cortisone shots, are the most well-known, longest-standing type of injection. These anti-inflammatory medicines are injected directly in the knee joint to reduce inflammation.<\/p>\n

They are fast-acting, often providing relief within days, but they are also the shortest lasting. These injections typically keep the knee comfortable for about six to 12 weeks, though some people feel comfortable longer.<\/p>\n

By suppressing inflammation, corticosteroids switch off immune activity in the joint space.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to do these too often, as we want to give time for the medication to leave the joint and allow the normal immune surveillance of the joint to return,\u201d Dr. Lippman adds. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be done more frequently than about three times per year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cortisone shots are usually the least expensive option, and they are commonly covered by insurance.<\/p>\n

2. Hyaluronic acid injections<\/h3>\n

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in joint fluid that acts as a lubricant and support for knee joint cartilage. For those with osteoarthritis, hyaluronic acid can be injected inside the knee joint to help maintain hydration and lubrication of the cartilage, allowing the knee to move more smoothly and feel more comfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cHyaluronic acid injections are a good option to try to achieve improved control of symptoms, especially if you\u2019re not seeing improvement from steroid injections,\u201d Dr. Lippman says.<\/p>\n

Studies have shown some individuals respond very well to hyaluronic acid treatment, while others may experience limited benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly, the degree of osteoarthritis in somebody’s knee joint affects their response; more severe cases are going to be less responsive to any of these injectable therapies,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s useful and beneficial for someone, hyaluronic acid injections may be repeated every six months.<\/p>\n

These injections are often covered by insurance, but they typically require prior authorization.<\/p>\n

3. Platelet-rich plasma injections<\/h3>\n

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment is a regenerative therapy. Platelets are tiny cell fragments that help the body respond to injury and promote cell growth and healing. They can also help reduce inflammation in the joint space.<\/p>\n

PRP injections involve drawing a person\u2019s blood, concentrating platelets suspended in the blood, and then injecting that platelet-rich portion into the joint.<\/p>\n

Although this treatment may require more time before symptoms improve compared to other injectable therapies, it provides the longest-lasting pain relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies have shown PRP is actually the optimal injectable treatment in managing long-term arthritic pain,\u201d Dr. Lippman says.<\/p>\n

PRP injections can be repeated, but the frequency depends on how you respond.<\/p>\n

At MultiCare, PRP is currently an out-of-pocket (cash-pay) procedure, which is the case across most health care systems.<\/p>\n

When knee injections may not help with pain<\/h2>\n

Injections don\u2019t fix structural injuries. If symptoms are from a meniscus tear, ligament injury, fracture or other mechanical problem, injections won\u2019t address the root cause.<\/p>\n

Advanced or severe osteoarthritis is generally less responsive to injections. Sometimes surgery is the right next step. If pain continues to limit movement and interfere with your quality of life, despite non-surgical treatments, it may be time to discuss surgical options with your provider.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really try to have everyone step through the process of trying injectable therapies as a middle treatment first,\u201d Dr. Lippman says. \u201cBut if their arthritis reaches a certain point where oral medications, physical therapy or injectable therapies are not giving them enough relief, they may end up ultimately having to consider a knee replacement to surgically create a new joint surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bottom line: Talk with your provider<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a range of nonsurgical injection options for prolonged knee osteoarthritis pain. The best choice depends on your symptoms, severity, goals and insurance coverage. Your orthopedic provider can help match the option to your situation and adjust the plan if an injection isn\u2019t providing meaningful benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour provider is a great resource to help guide you and discuss which of these injectable therapies makes sense for you,\u201d Dr. Lippman adds.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After many years of wear and tear, knee pain often becomes more common as we get older. Most knee pain in people over 50, unless caused by a sudden injury, is due to osteoarthritis \u2014 a gradual thinning of cartilage within the knee joint. Cartilage allows the bones to smoothly glide across each other. As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":451,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[157,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask-a-doctor","category-orthopedics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKnee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can ease knee arthritis pain and how long relief lasts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief - MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is knee pain slowing you down? Learn how cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can help ease pain and how long relief lasts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-26T07:00:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T21:08:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/man-holding-knee.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"738\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Helen Vik\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Helen Vik\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b42102cc747c1354973d979a644ceb6\"},\"headline\":\"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-26T07:00:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-04T21:08:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":864,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Ask a Doctor\",\"Orthopedics & Sports Medicine\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/\",\"name\":\"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief - MultiCare Vitals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-26T07:00:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-04T21:08:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can ease knee arthritis pain and how long relief lasts.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/\",\"name\":\"MultiCare Vitals\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MultiCare\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/MultiCare-Color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/MultiCare-Color.png\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":409,\"caption\":\"MultiCare\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/multicarehealthsystem\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/multicarehealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/multicare-health-system\\\/mycompany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/multicarehealth\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b42102cc747c1354973d979a644ceb6\",\"name\":\"Helen Vik\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/author\\\/helenvik\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief - MultiCare Vitals","description":"Learn how cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can ease knee arthritis pain and how long relief lasts.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief - MultiCare Vitals","og_description":"Is knee pain slowing you down? Learn how cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can help ease pain and how long relief lasts.","og_url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/","og_site_name":"MultiCare Vitals","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem","article_published_time":"2026-05-26T07:00:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-04T21:08:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":738,"url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/man-holding-knee.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Helen Vik","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/"},"author":{"name":"Helen Vik","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/person\/7b42102cc747c1354973d979a644ceb6"},"headline":"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief","datePublished":"2026-05-26T07:00:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-04T21:08:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/"},"wordCount":864,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Ask a Doctor","Orthopedics & Sports Medicine"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/","name":"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief - MultiCare Vitals","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-26T07:00:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-04T21:08:02+00:00","description":"Learn how cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can ease knee arthritis pain and how long relief lasts.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/knee-arthritis-injections-options-for-pain-relief\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Knee arthritis injections: Options for pain relief"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#website","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/","name":"MultiCare Vitals","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#organization","name":"MultiCare","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/05\/MultiCare-Color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/05\/MultiCare-Color.png","width":1500,"height":409,"caption":"MultiCare"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/multicarehealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/multicare-health-system\/mycompany\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/multicarehealth"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/#\/schema\/person\/7b42102cc747c1354973d979a644ceb6","name":"Helen Vik","url":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/author\/helenvik\/"}]}},"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/451"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39437"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39491,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39437\/revisions\/39491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}