Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the potential to treat arthritis with injection instead of hip or knee replacement operations.

The Department does not hold information on the potential to treat arthritis with injections in place of hip or knee replacement operations. However, the Department is aware that intra-articular corticosteroid injections are used to relieve pain and inflammation in arthritic joints. It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment for patients on a case-by-case basis.