Medicines and injections
What to review before another knee injection
Record the type and actual benefit before deciding how often to repeat it.
At a glance
- Record injection type, date and duration of benefit.
- Do not choose intervals from insurance rules alone.
- Reassess diagnosis and alternatives when relief is poor.
If relief lasts only a few days, it is natural to wonder whether injections should continue. Check the medicine, date and duration of benefit first. Knee injections are not interchangeable, and an insurance interval is not the same as an individualized treatment decision.
Review before the next injection
- 01
Record
Type, date and other treatment
- 02
Response
Duration of daily benefit and adverse effects
- 03
Choice
Repeat, alternative care or surgery discussion
Record, response and next choice in a review cycle
Identify the injection and purpose
Steroids, hyaluronic acid, PRP and other injections differ in composition, evidence and risk. Broad labels such as cartilage or regenerative injection are not enough to guide a decision.
Ask for the precise name and goal, and report treatment from other clinics. Injection location and purpose may differ when pain arises inside the joint versus a surrounding tendon or ligament.
Measure duration and function
Record walking, stairs and sleep as well as pain. Brief relief and several weeks of better activity provide different information for the next decision.
Note medicines or exercise started at the same time. Symptoms fluctuate, so do not attribute every improvement to the injection. Include cost and adverse effects in the review.
Review repeat-treatment risks and surgery plans
Consider infection risk, skin and tissue condition, and previous reactions. Steroids can affect blood glucose, and prolonged repeated use warrants discussion of joint-tissue concerns.
If surgery is planned or being considered, tell the surgical team the type and date of recent injections. Timing depends on treatment and risk; do not apply one online interval automatically.
Reassess when benefit is small
Frequent dependence on injections or little previous benefit is a reason to review the problem. Severe osteoarthritis or another source of pain may require a different plan.
Compare exercise, walking aids, medicines and surgical consultation. A suddenly hot, swollen knee or progressively worsening pain after injection needs assessment without waiting for the next appointment.
Can I have a joint injection before knee replacement?
If you are planning knee replacement, tell the surgical team what was injected into that knee and when. Discuss avoiding corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid joint injections during the three months before surgery. If you have already had an injection, ask your surgeon about the timing of surgery rather than cancelling it yourself.
A 2019 study of 58,337 knee replacements found higher odds of infection around the prosthesis when an injection had been given within the preceding three months. The odds ratio was 1.21 for corticosteroid and 1.55 for hyaluronic acid. This was an observational study of insurance records. These figures do not establish causation or predict an individual patient’s infection risk.
Is hyaluronic acid covered by Korean health insurance?
The medicine may be covered when knee osteoarthritis is radiographic KL grade 1–3 and treatment meets the product’s authorized use and Korean reimbursement criteria. The number of injections and the interval before a repeat course must be checked for the specific formulation.
For example, sodium hyaluronate 20 mg has a course of three weekly injections, while the 25 mg formulation has five weekly injections. For these two formulations, a repeat course is covered when the previous course was effective and at least six months have passed. Single-injection cross-linked formulations follow their own labeling and reimbursement criteria. Please check the injection’s name and the dates of your previous treatment.
Common Questions
How many hyaluronic acid injections can I receive?
There is no single lifetime limit shared by every product. Sodium hyaluronate 20 mg is given as three weekly injections and 25 mg as five weekly injections per course. Reimbursement for a repeat course of these two formulations requires previous benefit and an interval of at least six months. Other formulations follow their own criteria; reassess the need to repeat treatment if it has not helped.
Should I report injections at another clinic?
Yes. Give the type and date to avoid overlooked treatment overlap.
Is repeatedly postponing surgery always better?
Consider daily function and nonsurgical benefit. Inadequate relief is not a reason to indefinitely avoid surgical consultation.
Evidence and references
01When to seek medical care
Each warning sign is a separate reason to seek care. Follow the action below if any one applies.
Emergency department · call 119 in Korea
- Call 119 for sudden breathlessness or chest pain, severe faintness or loss of consciousness. Do not wait for calf swelling to appear.
- Go to an emergency department if you suddenly cannot bear any weight, or if an injured knee swells rapidly or looks deformed. A cold or numb foot after injury also needs immediate assessment.
- Seek emergency care for a hot, swollen and severely painful joint with high fever, shaking chills, confusion or inability to bear weight.
- With back or leg pain, go immediately to an emergency department for new difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness around the genitals or anus. Severe or rapidly worsening weakness or numbness in both legs also needs immediate assessment.
Same-day assessment
- Arrange assessment today for a newly hot, swollen joint, sudden severe pain, or a knee locked so that it cannot fully straighten. Joint infection can occur without fever.
- Have new swelling or pain in one calf assessed today for a possible blood clot. Call 119 immediately if breathlessness or chest pain develops.
- Severe knee pain or a new limp in a growing adolescent may come from a hip condition such as slipped capital femoral epiphysis. Stop walking and sport and arrange assessment today. Go directly to emergency care if they cannot bear weight.
- Stop running and seek assessment today for new recurring groin pain, pain with walking or at night, or a limp. A femoral neck stress fracture needs to be considered. Keep weight off the painful leg until assessed. Go to emergency care if you cannot bear weight.
Book an outpatient appointment
- If none of the warning signs above is present, book an appointment for pain lasting a few weeks, repeated swelling or reduced daily activity and exercise.