What about cortisone shots for your joint pain?

A "cortisone shot" sends powerful anti-inflammatory medicine right into a painful joint, without the side effects of steroid pills. 

• Novocaine is usually injected with the steroid, and will relieve pain immediately; the steroid won’t start to work for a few days.

• The same kind of injection is used for arthritis, rotator cuff tendinitis, tennis elbow, trigger fingers, carpal tunnel syndrome, trochanteric bursitis, plantar fasciitis...wherever there's inflammation in the musculoskeletal system.

• Injections could relieve painful flares that break through your usual regimen of pills.  Or, an injection could quiet the joint that bothers you most; save your pills for whole-body flare-ups. 

• There’s no definite answer to, “How often can you have cortisone shots?”  If you’ve been told “you can only have 2 or 3 per year”, you’re getting at least 4-6 months of relief.  If your pain comes back sooner, it might be time for surgery. 

Comments

[james degazio]

help me if you can please
on 9/27/05 i had bi-lateral
shoulder replacments my left
shoulder came out ok. my right
shoulder had to be operated agin on 12/5/05 and it look like an other operation is in the near future. he has been giving me cortisone shots. the pain has not gone away....

[Stephanie]

James--Both shoulders replaced on one day? I'm sorry to hear that--a big ordeal. Did you have severe trauma to both shoulders? If so, there's a lot at stake.

Shoulder replacement ("total shoulder", "hemiarthroplasty", "TSA", "shoulder arthroplasty"--different names for the procedure) is a technically very demanding surgical procedure. Many factors contribute to a successful outcome: why did the patient need the surgery? What's the quality of the bone and surrounding soft tissue? Did the patient have other injuries (like in the legs, that limit mobility and require the use of crutches, stressing the freshly-operated shoulder?) How good was the postop rehab?

Although I can't give you specific recommendations online here, if you share some more details, perhaps I can help you ask your surgeon the right questions.

[michelle]

im getting a cortisone shot on tuesday,and im very scared of getting one,my foot is ver painfull
at all times so this is my last resort....help Michelle

[Stephanie]

Many patients are worried the shot will be painful; “friends” may have warned you that “it was more painful than anything, ever!” Please don’t let them frighten you!

The whole process takes about 5 seconds. A very thin needle is used, so you only feel a slight prick. The needle goes into the space between the bones, not into the bone. Usually, there is a local anesthetic, like novocaine, in the shot. This might burn for 3-4 seconds as it fills the joint until it numbs itself. About 2 teaspoons of medicine are placed into a knee or shoulder at the time of the injection. Smaller amounts will be used for smaller joints, like wrists and fingers and feet.

Once the area is filled with the novocaine plus the steroid, it may feel strange and full. Notice your immediate response to the injection - your pain will be gone and you’ll stride comfortably out of the office!

[desyrel dividose]

The change of our climate is, is not natural

[Judy]

I had artrhoscopic surgery to my right shoulder on 9-11-06 for a superior labral tear w/detachment of anterior and posterior labrum The tear was from the 11:00 position to the 9:00 position posteriorly. The extent of the tear anteriorly went from about the 5;00 position all the way up to the biceps anchor. Recovery was horrible and as I started to heal pain and range of motion were worse than before the surgery. It wasn't until the week of May 20th,2007 when I received a cortizone shot administered by a Radiologist directly into the joint that I found some relief. I know it isn't forever and that I am looking at shoulder replacement in the future but I would definitely urge anyone with miserable pain to give it a try. I had a wonderful surgeon at the Lahey Hosp. in Boston. It wasn't his fault, I simply had alot of damage

[Stephanie]

Judy--It sounds like you developed adhesive capsulitis, or a frozen shoulder, after your surgery. I'm glad you got some relief from the cortisone shot; time will tell how long it will help you. As always, your surgeon is the best resource to discuss your prognosis and timing of future treatment options. Good luck.

[RICK]

I GOT A CORTIZONE SHOT IN MY ELBOW 24 MONTHS AGO.THE SHOT WAS PAINFUL(SCALE FROM 1 TO 10 A 9) AND MY ARM HAS BEEN SWOLEN FOR 2 YEARS.MY INJURY WAS INTERNAL WITH NO SWELLING, BUT KNOW MY ARM HAS BEEN HURTING FOR 2 YEARS.I THINK THE NEEDLE WENT THROUGH TENDON NERVES MUSCLE BONE AND LIGAMENT.ANY SUGGESTIONS?

[james]

There is a condition I see rather frequently in my practice. Parents are scared because their young child is crying continuously. The child often has one elbow bent and the arm held to their chest. They also refuse to use the arm. However, when you press up and down the arm, you can’t find a spot that hurts to the touch. The poor child will let you bend all the joints. Looking at the outside gives you no clue as to why the child is in so much pain.

[elbow injury]

What is a cortisone shots? Is that safe to use? How effective is that? Having an elbow pain is hard. And you have to make sure on what you are going to apply on your elbow to cure it.

[Stephanie Siegrist]

James 1/18/10: What kind of Practice do you have? There's a common childhood injury called "nursemaids elbow": http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000983.htm.

[Stephanie Siegrist]

To "elbow injury 1/18/10": See my info and links above to answer your questions about cortisone shots. Tim--I'm leaving your comment and links in place because your site gives good info about self-care of tennis elbow. Good Luck!

[Health Joints]

Hope these shots work.. Good job.
https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=817789614&email=7cff47bb7cdcb76fbfa15e66c81a1961