Lots of patients who come to see us for steroid injections do so because they want to bring their pain under control before they go on their holiday. This might be to reduce knee pain so they can enjoy their walking holiday or cycling holiday or reduce their shoulder pain so they can enjoy a swim while they are away.
Many patients choose to have a steroid injection so they can enjoy their holiday in comfort and be active whilst they are away. Oftentimes patients will ring and ask us to ask what would be the optimal time prior to their holiday to have the steroid injection.
Calculating the best time to come for your appointment
Steroid Injection
Most long acting steroids take between 3-5 days to start fully working. We usually recommend for the patient to have the steroid injection somewhere between ten days and two weeks prior to their holiday as this is when it should be giving its maximum pain relieving affects. It also allows plenty of time for any post-injection discomfort to have long settled and the opportunity for them to feel comfortable and have begun exercising before they go off on their holiday.
Hyaluronic Acid Injection
Hyaluronic acid is also shown to take around two weeks to fully exert its affects so equally we would recommend a period of 10-14 days prior to your holiday.
Will I cause any harm to my body having a steroid injection before my holiday?
Steroid injections are very safe and provided you do not have more than 3 injections each year into the same body part (e.g. knee joint) they are very unlikely to cause any significant harm to the tissues.
Hyaluronic acid injections are not known to have any harmful effects.
Will I harm my body by being active if I mask over the pain?
You are extremely unlikely to cause any harm by exercising after your injection – one of the main clinical indications for pain relieving injections is to allow people to exercise more afterwards. The net result of being able to exercise and relax in more comfort is usually very positive for your body.
However if you have any specific concerns, you will be assessed and scanned prior to the injection by one of our highly experienced clinicians and you can ask any questions you might have regarding this so they can give you more tailored advice and possibly some targeted exercises to help ensure there is minimal risk to you.
Is it safe to go on an aeroplane shortly after a steroid injection
There are no risks flying on an aeroplane after a steroid injection. We would normally recommend to avoid within 24-48 hours just in case you suffer any post-injection pain which would be unpleasant if you were on a long plane journey.
In Summary – how to forward plan your injection
If you are wanting to have an injection before you go off on your holiday this year, we recommend to plan ahead and we advise for patients to make their booking around 10-14 days before they are due to go off on their travels.
We will always aim to see people within 24-48 hours of the call, however, sometimes during peak seasons our clinics are very busy so we would encourage in order to get the time of your choosing to try to allow up to a week in advance for your booking.
Therefore, you should really be planning your visit from around 3-4 weeks prior to your holiday.
If you have any questions, or wish to discuss any of our ultrasound guided injections procedures further with one of our clinical team, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0207 482 3875 or email us direct on injections@complete-physio.co.uk.
Leave A Comment