Has anyone had a cortisone injection for hip (or, other joint) pain?

[Vintage VFer]

I've heard differing opinions of cortisone injections for joint pain. Some folks say it's like a miracle and others say it did nothing at all.

If you have had a cortisone injection for joint pain, did it help? Were there any side effects?

[Kathy G]

I’ve had injections in both shoulders (different times/different diagnoses) one time each.

I had calcific tendinitis in one shoulder and bursitis in the other. Both times the injections helped immensely and I was able get full movement back and they healed with no further issues.

The calcific tendinitis took months to go away but the OS told me my body had to break up the calcium deposits and they had to be absorbed. If it wasn’t better in a few months he was going to have me try needling with an MRI to help with the process. But it went away on its own.

The bursitis was gone in about 3 weeks after the shot.

Hope that helps. I’ve heard other people say the cortisone injections didn’t help at all but my experience was good.

[Jane P.]

I went to physical therapy for pain in my right hip. It didn't help so my doc recommended the shot. I had the shot and haven't had any trouble since. I am very happy with the results. If I hadn't had it, I'd still be walking around in pain. He said it was inflammation of the bursa sac iow bursitis.

[luvcritters]

I've had so many cortisone injections I've lost count. I had one in my knee when it was bone on bone. It didn't work, probably because it needed replaced. I had one in each shoulder and another in the A/C joint. I had 2 in the right wrist and 2 in the right thumb. The left wrist had 3 and left thumb had 2. Two weeks ago 3 arthritic bones were removed from my left wrist. Hopefully I won't need more cortisone there. I didn't bother with an injection in my right hip. I knew it was bone on bone and got the hip replacement without wasting time on injections or PT. I had an injection in my spine that stopped sciatica pain in its tracks. That was 13 years ago and I haven't had sciatica since. Because my spine is so arthritic the doctor started treating the MRI instead of the patient. Nine more injections in my spine did nothing. When they work they're great but they wear off sometimes and need to be redone.

[psupam]

I had injections in both knees. I did not find them helpful but I think my arthritis was already advanced. I have since had knee replacements. I did read that some feel that the cortisone accelerates joint deterioration. The Arthritis Foundation website has a lot of good information.

[txhsmom]

I've had them in my thumb joint and that helped, so much so that I haven't had one there for 3 years or so. It did hurt like the dickens though.

I've had one in an ankle that did nothing. And one in a shoulder that did nothing.

Carol

[SpiritYogi]

I haven't but my boyfriend had one for his knee about 12 years ago and he's had no pain since.

[bzar]

my boss (male) had periodic shots for arthritis in his hand joints. he said the shots hurt like heck and that he never looked forward to them. from that i learned that the pain never went away - it was just a temporary fix.

now that i have osteoarthritis in my fingers i avoid the one big trigger for me: sodium and MSG. it's been years since i've eaten hot dogs or ramen. i think avoiding inflammatory foods helps me avoid pain. i rarely get pain, but some of my knuckles are crooked from osteoarthritis.

i had a cortisone shot for hives once and it made the hives worse. might have been the timing - i had the hives for several hours before going to the doctor.

[Izzy]

Yes, left knee which was bone on bone. It helped tremendously. But insurance would only allow for so many and I eventually had knee replacement.

[Vintage VFer]

Thanks for the replies!

I think it is worth a try for me.