Having worked there, I would highly recommend sending a written message to your hand surgeon, explaining what your experience is with that injection, and asking for another.. It might be that after people are helped, they just don't go back to the doctor, so they might not realize the "full" extent of success (not to discredit their long-term studies), but what works for someone doesn't mean it works for everyone.

Having it work before, should be case enough that if you ask for the injection again with your experience would be medical justification, they should do it again. What I have discovered is we have to take control of our health, so if something works, keep doing that before you go the surgical route.

Also, sometimes if people wait too long with a situation, it gets past the point that an injection might help. He should be examined and request what you'd like before waiting until the point that surgical intervention is the only option.

I.E. My husband was procrastinating on shoulder surgery, thinking the older he became the longer it would last. Pain and meeting our annual maximum on insurance finally got him to the shoulder surgeon's office. Tests showed he had large fluid-filled cysts INSIDE the bone, and since bone is porous, it filled the area and eventually REPLACED the bone in those spots, plus some arthritis. The surgeon said he was fortunate to come in and go ahead with his surgery now because had he waited, once the bone gets to 50%, they CANNOT even do the surgery! They need 50% of the bone there to adhere a new shoulder joint to. I guess what I am saying is please do not wait to see a doctor...go in once you see symptoms happening since there is usually something they can do (if not switch doctors for a different opinion), and also TELL THEM what you feel it is (bring printout if necessary) and since the injection worked before, why not try that first before waiting until it's too late, and surgery is the only (painful, long-term, expensive) option.