Hi,

If you have had a steroid injection (e. g Cortisone for an injury) FIVE YEARS or more ago- how is that area now? Is it still fine or is it giving you problems?

I ask because I’ve been recommended one and whilst they appear to be very common, there also appears to be some late side affects that are under reported e.g early onset of arthritis.

Cheers

Have them for a shoulder injury. They work for 4/5 months then they wear off and the pains back. However I’ll have as many as I’m allowed as I don’t want a shoulder Arthoscopy.
I’d say try them.

As above.
Had one for ongoing wrist injury and the effects lasted just shy of a year before pain returned.
No real side effects for me other than it wearing off.

As above. Didn’t help, tho.

If you want to be concerned about anything, it’s the possible risk of infection 😛

In the past 5 years i’ve had 2 in the left shoulder over 12 months and 7 in my right foot over 6 years. Only thing I’ve have as a side effect is I have is a slight dip and discolouration in skin where I have been injected in the foot.

I’ve had the in both shoulders for rotator cuff impingement alongside physiotherapy, right shoulder has been good for nearly a year now after 5 injections over 3 years, left shoulder is just a bout due it’s second jab in 6 months.

No side effects to report, but without doing the physio exercises they are in themselves not a permanment fix, at least not for me.

In the Coccyx had 4 sets of injections, no adverse effects.

Had three in each knee – didn’t really help much. No side effects, although had surgery afterwards so maybe they chopped the offending bits out. If the problem/pain is bad enough, then side effects are likely to be minor relative to the problem

2 in the ankle and while its not pain free its certainly better than it was (for now) ankle fusion in the future 🙁

Had one in an elbow – about 14 years ago (I’m now 55). Cured the pain within a week and it never returned. No problems since either.

Had my shoulder done about 8 years ago. First time didn’t work second one did.

Eight years later I don’t have full movement (but then I didnt pre-injection) but pretty close and no pain.

The spinal one I had worked Ok (5 years ish) first time but the sciatica is back and the second one wasn’t as good. That said the sciatica is fading (after 11 months) with running stretching and varied cycling (road and off road on 6 different bikes).

In the wrist, 7 yrs ago, not a hint of trouble since. I’d suffered 18 months of serious pain, Inflamattion round the nerves – tried lots of alternatives (physio, massage, acupuncture) but didn’t get very far. Boom 1 shot of steroid cleared it up overnight.

Had a corticosteroid injection in the knee joint when I tore my medial ligament playing football 7 or 8 years ago. Really rather painful (needle the size of a drinking straw it seemed), don’t know if it made any difference in the short term, doesn’t seem to have had any ill effects in the longer term.

Had one in each knee – didn’t appear to work, and in fact still had quite severe pain. Some exercises, including and quite bizarrely skiing, seem to have reduced the pain more than the injections. Amongst other issues with my knees I have problems with my knee cap tracking correctly, which is where using the muscle just above the the inner side of the knee through skiing may have worked. Still get occasional pain in each knee but not as bad as before.

Philby,

sounds like you’re quad dominant & have a weak VMO (thats the muscle on the inside of the knee). Strengthen that & your knee cap should start to track properly. I’d say at the moment its being pulled to one side by the quad..

Once to clear up tennis elbow. Hurt like billy-o for a few days but did fix it.

Cheers for all the responses – nothing like a bit of real world research to get a bigger picture.

I’m gonna go for it…