ConditionJoint & musculoskeletal
Joint & arthritis pain
Joint pain is often managed as a waiting problem: something to endure until a replacement. There is usually a great deal to do in the meantime, and what is done in that period strongly affects how well surgery goes if it eventually happens.
Also calledOsteoarthritic painKnee, hip and shoulder pain
What it is
Pain from a joint reflects a mismatch between the load being asked of it and the load it currently tolerates. Cartilage change is part of that picture, but muscle capacity, sleep, weight and confidence in the joint all shift the threshold.
What it feels like
- Pain on first steps that eases, then returns with distance
- Night pain, particularly in the hip and shoulder
- Giving way, catching or a loss of trust in the joint
- Stiffness after sitting, easing within half an hour
How we assess it
Examination of the joint and the joints above and below it, alongside a practical measure of what you can currently do — walking distance, stairs, overhead reach. Those measures become the yardstick for whether treatment is working.
Treatment options
- Image-guided intra-articular injection for a defined flare
- A progressive loading programme, supervised for the first weeks
- Medication review, with attention to what is safe long term
- Referral for a surgical opinion where the joint has reached that point
What recovery looks like
Injection relief is a window, not a cure, and it is used to make the loading programme possible. Progress is measured by function at six and twelve weeks.
Risks and honest limits
Repeated steroid injection into a joint is not without consequence and is not offered as a routine cycle. Where a joint is structurally at the end of its life, saying so is more useful than another injection.
A note on this page
This is general information, written to help you prepare for a conversation. It is not a substitute for an individual assessment — what is right for you depends on your history, your examination and your own goals.
Common questions
Asked before, answered here
No. Appropriately graded loading is one of the best-supported treatments for osteoarthritic pain.
The first visit is for assessment. Procedures are booked separately with costs confirmed in advance.
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Have this assessed properly
Send a few lines about your pain and how long it has been going on. We will reply with a time and what to bring.
Visit
Level 2, 48 Macquarie StreetSydney, NSW 2000Response
Enquiries are answered within one to two business days. Urgent clinical matters are triaged the same day by the practice team.