Joint and tendon injections: Caring for your child at home after the procedure

Your child has had injections of a drug (steroid) into various joints and/or tendons. The information on this page explains how to care for your child at home after the procedure, and when to call for help.

Discharge from the hospital

Most children who have joint and/or tendon injections go home the same day. This is usually one hour after the procedure.

Bathing

Your child can have a bath or shower the day after the injections.

Pain relief

If needed, give your child acetaminophen for pain or pain medications your child has been taking at home. Please inform your child’s primary health-care provider if your child develops severe pain that is not controlled with current pain medications.

Meals

If your child is feeling well enough after the anaesthetic, they can return to eating what they normally eat. It is also important to encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids for 48 hours after the procedure.

Activity

Your child must rest the injected areas for 48 hours after the procedure. This will help them to get the best outcome from the injections. After 48 hours of rest, your child can go back to normal activity.

When to see a doctor

Call your child’s doctor or go to the nearest Emergency Department if your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Fever greater than 38°C (100.4°F)
• Significant swelling of any of the sites that were injected
• Severe bruising
• Redness at the injection site
• Increasing pain at the injected area
• Change in the colour or temperature of the limb on the side of the body where the injections were done; for example, the foot turns pale, blue or is cool to touch

At SickKids

If you have any concerns in the first 48 hours, call the Image Guided Therapy (IGT) clinic at (416) 813- 7654 ext. 201804. Speak to the IGT clinic nurse during working hours or leave a non-urgent message.

If you have concerns and it is after working hours, see your primary care provider or go to the nearest Emergency Department. You can also call the Hospital for Sick Children switchboard at (416) 813-7500 and ask them to page a member of your child’s health-care team or the interventional radiology fellow on call.