Soft Tissue and Joint Injection

This course will allow practitioners to advance their practice as independent injectors and develop their roles within clinical and private practice.

The module is aimed at healthcare professionals who are involved in the management of musculoskeletal conditions and aim to use joint and soft-tissue injections as part of their clinical practice.

Who is it for?

This credit bearing module is suited to physiotherapists, doctors, GPs, nurses, podiatrists, hand therapists, paramedics, and orthopaedic, rheumatology, and SEM trainees.

Timetable

The module will be held on the following Tuesdays in 2026:

• 10 March
• 17 March
• 24 March
• 31 March
• 7 April
• 21 April (Summative SOPE)
• 12 May (Resit SOPE)
• 26 May (Summative Portfolio due date)

Teaching will take place onsite from 9am to 5pm.

Benefits

The module delivers the skills and knowledge required for practitioners to competently undertake joint and soft tissue injections as part of their clinical practice, and critically appraise the role of injection therapy in the management of complex musculoskeletal scenarios.

This will allow practitioners to advance their practice as independent injectors and develop their roles within clinical and private practice.

On successful completion of the module the student will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy relevant to soft tissue and joint injections
• be able to clinically reason and evaluate the need for intervention with injection therapy
• demonstrate advance soft tissue assessment and diagnostic skills
• understand and discuss the contraindications for injections
• understand and discuss safety techniques involve in injection administration
• be able to carry out safely injection and aspiration procedures in joints and soft tissues.

Theory sessions

• current evidence in injection therapy, including review of clinical guidelines
• clinical pharmacology of Corticosteroids and Local anaesthetics
• choosing the most effective dose
• other injection therapy options e.g. hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet rich plasma (PRP)
• legal framework including PSD, PGD and IP, consent
• anatomy relevant to common treatments
• adverse event management e.g. anaphylaxis
• critical appraisal of research evidence
• alternative treatments.

Practical sessions

• candle, draw-up and prepare the injections
• needle proprioception
• supervised consultation, assessment and treatment of demo models
• developing safe and effective technique of injections.

Assessment

Assessment is by OSCE Examination (100%) and Portfolio – consisting of 10 supervised injections and short essay (pass/fail).

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

To apply for this course, please follow these steps:

1. Check Eligibility: Ensure you meet any prerequisites or eligibility criteria mentioned.
2. Fill in the Application Form: Complete the online application form with your details, including name, contact information, and any required professional information.
3. Payment: Once your application has been approved, you will be contacted with payment instructions.
4. Confirmation: After submitting your application and payment, you should receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive this, please check your spam/junk folder. Keep this for your records.
5. Prepare for the Course: Review any pre-course materials or requirements provided in the confirmation email.

If applying for this module, you MUST state the Module Title and Course Code in the personal statement tab. Without this we will be unaware of what module you are applying for and will delay your application decision.

If you encounter any issues or have questions, consider contacting the course provider directly through the contact information available on the website.

Students should have suitable background knowledge to successfully complete this course. It is best suited to physiotherapists, doctors, GPs, nurses, podiatrists, hand therapists, paramedics, and orthopaedic, rheumatology, and SEM trainees.

Students should have qualifications that demonstrate ability to study at Level 7 along with the following:

• registration with the appropriate professional body
• a minimum of three years post-registration experience
• a current position that will allow completion of supervised injections in a clinical setting
• an approved supervisor, which could include a doctor, physiotherapist, qualified injection practitioner.

Students with UK qualifications

You should have all of the following:

• Honours degree (2:2 or above) from the UK or Republic of Ireland
• recognised healthcare/health-related professional qualification and current professional registration

Students with International qualifications

We accept equivalent qualifications gained in other countries. Please see our Entry Requirements page. For countries not on this list, we use UK ENIC to assess. Please see our International Student Support pages for more information.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at pec@sgul.ac.uk

English requirements

If English is not your first language, you will require one of the following:

• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City St George's, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

Full details can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.