# Common questions about a sore knee and knee shots *Common Questions | Knee Injections Scottsdale* > Straight answers about knee injections scottsdale, including cortisone, gel, PRP (platelet-rich plasma), ultrasound, soreness, and care afterward. Call for help when the knee feels hot, looks swollen, and grows more painful. That change isn't the usual short flare. Fever makes the need more urgent. Don't wait for a routine follow-up. For less urgent questions, start with the answers below. They'll explain the common choices and what the visit feels like. Your doctor's directions still come first. Keep those directions near you after the visit. ## Sources 1. The 2015 Cochrane review of 27 trials (1,767 participants) found intra-articular corticosteroid better than sham for knee OA pain (SMD -0.40, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.22; NNTB 8), but the benefit decayed with time: moderate at 1-2 weeks, small at 13 weeks, and no evidence of any effect at 26 weeks. All outcomes were graded LOW quality. Jüni P, et al. — [Intra-articular corticosteroid for knee osteoarthritis.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26490760/). *Cochrane Database Syst Rev*, 2015. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005328.pub3. 2. The RESTORE randomized trial (288 participants, leukocyte-poor PRP, 3 weekly injections) found no significant difference from saline placebo at 12 months in knee pain (-2.1 vs -1.8 points; difference -0.4, 95% CI -0.9 to 0.2) or in medial tibial cartilage volume (-1.4% vs -1.2%), with 29 of 31 secondary outcomes also showing no between-group difference. Bennell KL, et al. — [Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: The RESTORE Randomized Clinical Trial.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34812863/). *JAMA*, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.19415. 3. A 2022 BMJ systematic review and meta-analysis of 169 trials (21,163 participants) found viscosupplementation produced only a small pain reduction versus placebo (SMD -0.08, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.02; about -2.0 mm on a 100 mm VAS), below the minimal clinically important difference, and trial sequential analysis indicated conclusive evidence of clinical equivalence with placebo since 2009. Pereira TV, et al. — [Viscosupplementation for knee osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36333100/). *BMJ*, 2022. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2022-069722. 4. The 2025 Cochrane living review of stem cell injections for knee OA (25 trials, 1,341 participants) found stem cell injection MAY slightly improve pain and function up to six months versus placebo (pain 1.2 points better on a 0-10 scale; function 14.2 points better on 0-100), but rated the evidence LOW certainty for both, downgraded for indirectness and suspected publication bias, with up to three larger RCTs withdrawn before reporting results. Whittle SL, et al. — [Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis of the knee.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40169165/). *Cochrane Database Syst Rev*, 2025. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013342.pub2. ## What are the three types of knee injections? The three common names here are cortisone, gel, and PRP (platelet-rich plasma). Cortisone lowers swelling for a time, while gel adds thick fluid to the joint. PRP uses your blood, spun to gather tiny blood parts called platelets that help clotting and carry proteins used in healing. These choices don't follow one schedule. ## What is in a cortisone shot? The main medicine is a drug that lowers swelling. A numbing medicine may also be included. That numbing part can wear off sooner. Ask what is in your shot before it is given. ## Does a cortisone injection hurt? You may feel a quick scratch through the skin. Then you may notice pressure or fullness in the knee. That feeling often eases when the needle comes out. People don't all feel it the same way. ## Do knee injections need ultrasound guidance? Not every knee shot uses ultrasound. A doctor can guide the needle by feeling the knee bones. Ultrasound uses sound waves to show the moving needle on a screen. Ask which method your doctor uses and why. ## What should you not do after a cortisone shot in your knee? Follow the directions from the clinic that gave the shot. Don't test the knee with hard activity right away. Call if heat, swelling, and soreness keep building. Fever beside those changes means you need care fast. ## What is a cortisone flare? A flare is extra soreness after the shot. It can happen before the cortisone begins helping. A usual flare starts to settle instead of growing hotter. Call promptly when heat, swelling, or soreness keeps getting worse. ## Bring your questions to a visit QC Kinetix offers consultations and regenerative treatments, its name for non-surgical care that can use your blood after clinic staff who examine you concentrate one part. Book a free consultation: --- Clear help for a sore knee. Plain answers about a sore knee, things you can try yourself, what happens at a visit, and when the knee needs prompt medical care. Plain help for knee soreness, a clinic visit, and the first days afterward. This site is written and operated by the owners of the QC Kinetix clinics serving the Phoenix area, including the Scottsdale office on East Mountain View Road in the Shea corridor. Nobody here is standing outside the business looking in: the people describing the sequence are the people who would book the appointment, and that is printed on every page rather than left for a reader to deduce. Copyright 2026 Scottsdale Knee, Step by Step. General education about a procedure and its sequence, not medical advice about a particular knee - only a clinician who can examine one can tell you about yours.