Clinical Assessment Service (CAS)

The aim of the service is to ensure that patients with MSK conditions are seen by the right clinician at the right time to facilitate the most effective management of your condition.

• Peter Meers – Consultant Physiotherapist
• Stephanie Marsh – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Digant Patel – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Thomas Skinner – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Sarah Oakham – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Arun Samueljkumar – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Ramandeep Singh – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Nitin Sharma – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Jack Broady – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• David Field – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Dan Horgan – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Noopur Shah – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Bhavna Chawla – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Aminat Adeleke – Advanced Podiatrist Practitioner
• Daniel Morris – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Padmini Sharma – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Alex Armstrong – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner (Hand specialist)
• Charmaine Mensha – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Matt Busby – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Susan Falconar – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Sandra Fassenfelt – Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioner
• Julie Kennedy – Advanced Occupational Therapist Practitioner
• Dr Arjun Sohanpal – GP with special interest in Orthopaedics
• Dr Paul Staker – GP with special interest in Orthopaedics

• A thorough holistic assessment – tailoring and reaching a treatment plan we both agree on
• Advice and self management strategies
• Soft tissue and joint injection therapy (including ultrasound guided injections)
• Prescriptions to help manage your pain
• Diagnostic requests (although not always necessarily required) such as Xrays, MRIs, bone scans, nerve conduction studies and ultrasound scans.
• Assessments and opinions from GP’s with a special interest within musculoskeletal
• Onward referral to physiotherapy to continue with your rehabilitation
• Onward referral to various other departments if required.
• Provide or refer for equipment such as walking aids
• Refer to our OT for a home assessment

During assessment, you may be asked to remove some items of clothing during your appointment. Please ensure you dress appropriately to enable this.

You are welcome to bring a relative or a friend to your appointments. Alternatively, we can arrange a chaperone if you would like someone to be with you.

Please bring a list of your current medicines.

If you have had a scan or x-ray outside your local NHS provider, please bring the report if you have it or the details of where you had your imaging performed

Steroid injections are commonly used in musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine to reduce inflammation and relieve pain in joints, muscles, and soft tissues.

Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications injected directly into soft tissue and joints of the affected area.

They help manage various conditions like osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, bursitis, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, and trigger finger.

How Long Do They Last?

Relief can begin within a few days and last weeks to months, depending on the condition and individual response. Please be aware they do not work for everyone.

Things to consider

If you are due a steroid injection you must notify us if had an infection within the last two weeks or been antibiotics within the last two weeks.

Also, if had a vaccination within two weeks for example flu or covid vaccine.

Your injection would need to be rescheduled if this is the case.

Possible side effects

Occasionally there are side effects from this type of injection, which are

mild and very rare, for example:

• An increase in pain may be felt for 24-48 hours. It is fine to take painkillers to relieve your discomfort.
• Menstrual cycle alteration.
• Bruising may appear where you had the injection.
• Facial flushing. This may last for up to 48 hours and will settle naturally.
• Diabetics may find that their blood sugar levels alter slightly over the next few days.
• Skin discolouration / dimpling where you had the injection.
• Tendon rupture may occur following multiple repeated injections.
• Infection and allergic reactions may occur. If the injected area becomes red, hot, swollen and tender, please see your GP
• Sudden visual changes in one eye (this is very rare and most common in patients that are pregnant or are on oral steroids or have cushing syndrome). If experienced, please see an ophthalmologist urgently for further assessment. immediately.

For repeat injections please complete the self-referral form on our page. Please complete with as much detail as possible to ensure it is screened correctly. Following referral, you will be assessed to determine if a repeat injection is deemed appropriate.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED OUR PATIENT LEAFLET FOR MORE INFORMATION