Your (Cortisone) Shot at Relief: Key Facts to Know
It can be tough to find a silver lining when your joints hurt, but for many people with pain and inflammation, there is one: Relief without surgery is likely. Nonsurgical treatments provide significant improvement in most people, and one of the key therapies in orthopedic specialists’ toolbox is the cortisone shot. Find out how these injections work, what they treat and how long relief can last.
What Is a Cortisone Shot and How Does It Work?
A cortisone shot is an injection of an anti-inflammatory medicine into a painful joint or tissue. This outpatient treatment takes inspiration from how your body fights inflammation. Your adrenal glands make a hormone called cortisol to calm your immune system and tamp down inflammation. Cortisone is a synthetic version of cortisol that, like the natural hormone, acts as an anti-inflammatory.
Cortisone shots can treat inflammation in your joints, tendons and bursae (fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between bones and soft tissues). Your orthopedic specialist may refer to these shots as corticosteroid or steroid shots. However, they’re different from anabolic steroids, substances that mimic testosterone to fuel muscle growth. Corticosteroids, such as cortisone, only reduce inflammation and provide pain relief. They don’t build muscle.
What Are the Different Types of Cortisone Shots?
Medical providers categorize cortisone injections based on the areas of the body they target. The three main types of shots include:
- Epidural: an injection into the space around the spinal cord
- Intramuscular: an injection into a muscle
- Intra-articular: an injection into a joint
What Can Cortisone Shots Treat?
Orthopedic specialists use cortisone shots to treat many conditions, including:
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Bursitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendinitis
- Tendinopathy
- Tennis elbow
- Trigger finger
Most often, providers use steroid shots to reduce inflammation in the joints, including the knees, hips, spine, shoulders and more.
What Are the Benefits of Cortisone Shots?
Like most people considering cortisone shots, you probably have one goal in mind: reducing pain. With less pain, you could do so much more, from playing pickleball with friends to picking up your grandchildren. By calming inflammation, cortisone injections can relieve pain, restore function, and improve mobility and independence. Keep in mind, though, that these shots treat symptoms. They don’t cure the underlying cause, such as arthritis.
Relieving pain isn’t all that cortisone injections can do for you. They can also:
- Help identify the source of the pain and guide treatment. If you feel better quickly after a joint injection, that likely means pain is coming from inside the joint. In those cases, you might benefit from surgery at some point. On the other hand, if the shot doesn’t provide much relief, it might mean the pain is coming from another source nearby.
- Postpone or avoid surgery. If a cortisone shot enables you to get back to your normal activities and function well, you may be able to delay surgery or avoid it altogether. However, these shots become less effective over time, and prolonged use can actually damage joints and tendons. As a result, orthopedic specialists often combine the shots with other nonsurgical treatments, like physical therapy and weight loss.
How Much Does a Cortisone Shot Cost?
The cost of this treatment varies, but it can be up to several hundred dollars, especially if you pay out of pocket. If you use insurance, the amount you pay will likely be much lower. Check with your insurance provider for more information.
What to Expect From Treatment
If you’ve tried other nonsurgical treatments, such as resting the joint, without success, a cortisone shot may be right for you. Your orthopedic specialist will either perform the injection during your consultation or schedule a separate appointment.
The shot only takes a few minutes. Your doctor may use ultrasound or other imaging guidance to ensure the shot is delivered precisely to the painful area. The injection may include both cortisone, which provides pain relief gradually, and an anesthetic to numb the pain immediately.
[H3] Potential Side Effects and Activities to Avoid After a Cortisone Shot
Joint or soft tissue pain may worsen during the first two days after the shot, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Known as a flare, this worsening should improve as the cortisone takes effect.
Cortisone shots are a low-risk treatment, but they can cause several side effects. Common ones include:
- A temporary increase in blood sugar levels
- Bruising, swelling or pain at the injection site
- Skin irritation or discoloration at the injection site
Let your doctor know if side effects last longer than two days or if the injection site looks infected. In addition, follow their advice about activities you shouldn’t do during the first couple of days after your shot, which may include:
- Lifting heavy objects
- Soaking in a bathtub or hot tub
- Using a heating pad
- Using the affected joint too much
How Long Does a Cortisone Shot Last?
You should start to notice pain relief within a week after your shot. The relief may last several months, but if you don’t address the cause of inflammation, the pain may eventually return. You can get additional cortisone shots, sometimes up to four per year, but they may not work as well over time.
In Conclusion
Cortisone shots offer a potential path back to feeling like you. Here’s what to know:
- These shots use a manufactured version of the hormone cortisol to tame inflammation and reduce pain in joints and soft tissues.
- Cortisone injections can treat an array of conditions, from arthritis and back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and more.
- Cortisone shots can also help pinpoint the source of discomfort and allow you to delay or avoid surgery.
- Delivered in the office, cortisone injections typically start providing relief within a week, and the treatment can remain effective for months.
