Home Care After Hip Joint Injection

The doctor gave you a hip injection to decrease pain and inflammation in the joint. 

You may have a sore hip for the next 2-4 days. For the first 24 hours you may apply ice to the site (20 minutes on and 20 minutes off) to decrease pain. After 24 hours, you may also use heat if needed.

Your pain may take up to a couple of weeks to improve. We first gave you a local numbing medicine that only works for a few hours. We then gave you a steroid that may not start working for 2-5 days. Some patients do not notice a change in their pain for up to 2 weeks.

When the local anesthetic wears off, you may have more pain. This is called a pain “flare.” If this happens:

• Limit activity for the first 24 hours. 

• Think about taking the pain medicine you were prescribed.

Some patients have facial and neck flushing, anxiety, nervousness, mood swings, or trouble sleeping with the use of steroids. These symptoms often occur within the first 24-48 hours and go away within a week. These symptoms do not require any treatment. 

If you have diabetes, steroids may cause your blood sugar to increase. Make sure your primary doctor adjusts your medicine to keep your blood sugar within your normal range.

You may feel weak for the next 3-5 hours due to the medicine we gave you. Take it easy. No baths or soaking the injection site for 24 hours after the procedure. It is fine to take a shower.

After the procedure, you may take your routine medicines and any prescribed pain medicines. 

We will give you a pain log to complete for the next 14 days. Complete this form. Make a copy for your own records. Mail the form back to us in the pre-paid envelope we gave you. Together, we will review this record to decide the next step in your treatment plan.

Signs of Infection

• Fever greater than 100.4° F by mouth for 2 readings, taken 4 hours apart

• Increased redness, swelling, or pain around the site

• Any drainage from the site

When to Call

Call if you have any concerns or signs of infection.

Who to Call

For Dr. Abd-Elsayed, Dr. Sehgal, 

Dr. Simhan call: (608) 263-9550

For Dr. Al, Dr. Kim, Dr. Poliak-Tunis call: 

(608) 263-8639

For Dr. Holz or Dr. Leonard call: 

(608) 265-3207

Call your referring MD for follow up visit two weeks after the injection. 

After hours, nights and weekends, call: 

(608) 262-0486 or if you live out of the area, call 1-800-323-8942. Ask for the rehabilitation doctor on call. Leave your name and phone number with the area code. The doctor will call you back.