Are cortisone injections safe?
Posted December 11th, 2006 at 8:01 PM by Hariz Siddiqui
Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab
Doctors often inject cortisone-type medications into painful damaged joints and tendons. Single injections can relieve pain and swelling and appear to be safe, but many studies show that repeated injections can damage joints and delay healing. Most doctors will recommend having no more than three injections into the same joint in a lifetime.
Athletes and exercisers often experience pain from injuries to their tendons, muscles, fascia or ligaments. When an injury heals in a few days, no treatment is indicated, but sometimes they persist for months, particularly in the fascia on the bottom or back of the heel, in the large tendon in the back of the lower leg, or in the tendons on the elbows or shoulders. Cortisone-type drugs reduce swelling and lessen pain and can allow an athlete or exerciser to get back to sports, but cortisone injections can weaken the tendons for several months.
If you suffer pain in tendons, muscles, ligaments or fascia, check with your doctor to see if you have a treatable chronic disease causing it, such as hepatitis or reactive arthritis. Non-steroidals that are usually prescribed can help to block pain but do not heal damaged tissue. If you receive a cortisone injection, make sure that you protect that area from hard exercise for at least two months.
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and was originally published on his blog “Fitness and Health E-Zine”.
Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
Please also be advised that Dr. Mirkin’s opinions and the references cited are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
Tags: arthritis, cortisone, cortisone injection, cortisone type, cortisone type drugs, fascia, heal, healing, hepatitis, injuries, injury, injury prevention, injury treatment, joints, ligaments, muscles, pain, rehabilitation, swelling, tendons, treatment
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The Final Sprint
I agree with the above points. My wife had Cortisone injections a few months ago for a back problem that she has had for years and after researching the problems with Cortisonje treatments we decided that she may as well go ahead with it. In the end the injections did not help but you never do know which treatments are going to be the best for complicated lower back problems
December 12th, 2006 at 4:47 pm[…] Visit original post at Hariz Siddiqui […]
May 31st, 2007 at 3:38 pmI have to take issue with the statement that glucocorticoid injections can damage joints. There is simply no evidence to support such a claim. In the right hands and for the correct indications they are incredibly safe.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:38 amI got a Cortisone injection in my knee tendon, after which i rested but felt very agile for 3-4 weeks. Three months after the injection, i was back a stage 1 with this knee injury, so i believe that it can make an injury worsen.
November 13th, 2007 at 8:34 pmthis is totally incorrect. there have been studies, most notably the one done by the Pelletiers that showed that injection of a joint done 4 times a year is safe and not associated with any morbidity.
January 30th, 2008 at 4:51 pm