What are cortisone/corticosteroid injections?
Corticosteroids are a type of steroid that can be used as an anti-inflammatory medication. They
are available in various forms including tablets, inhalers, creams/gels, suppository and
injections. You might have heard about injections for conditions such as shoulder bursitis,
trochanteric bursitis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, gluteal tendinopathy, De Quervain’s
Tenosynovitis and knee osteoarthritis to name a few. This blog post will discuss corticosteroid
injections that are often used to manage these joint, muscular and tendon problems.
Weighing up the Risks vs Benefits
Unfortunately, corticosteroid injections are not a miracle drug. Sometimes they can have an
amazing effect on pain and function, sometimes they can worsen the problem or cause new
problems and other times have little or no effect at all. Therefore, the potential risks and benefits must be understood and weighed up before deciding to have or not to have an injection.
Potential benefits:
- Short term pain relief (up to 10-12 weeks)
- Improved movement and function associated with pain relief
Potential risks:
- Tendon weakening
- Bruising
- Bleeding
- Worsening in pain
- Infection
- Skin depigmentation
- Accelerated joint degeneration
- Increased blood pressure
- Immunosuppression
- Altered diabetic control
Physiotherapist’s perspective on corticosteroid injections
At PowerBuild physiotherapy we take into a number of factors when discussing corticosteroid injections for our patients. Some of the main factors are:
- Patient preference
- Type of injury/condition
- Latest research evidence
- Severity of injury/condition
- Patient’s previous benefit/experience with injections
- Impact of the condition of sleep
- Previous treatment
- Effect of current treatment
- Patient’s other medical conditions
- Patient’s current family/work situation
Corticosteroids- an adjunct management option
In most conditions, corticosteroid injections are not designed to be the stand alone management option- they are used as short term pain management in conjunction to other management options such as exercise and strengthening. It is crucial to understand this so that you do not neglect what is required for longer term recovery.
In summary, corticosteroids have risks and benefits. Understanding these risks and benefits for your particular condition and situation will help you optimise your long term success in treating the pain and problem. If you’re questioning if you need a corticosteroid injection, book an appointment and speak to our qualified physiotherapists today.
