cortisone shots?

**NorCascader** · 11-15-2007, 12:47 PM

Anyone had cortisone shots?

I've got an arthritic knee (who doesn't) and convinced my doctor to give me a cortisone shot becasue I'm going to Baker for 5 days next week.

It was immediate relief.....then last night the lydicane wore off and my knee is sooo sore. like limping around sore.

Is this normal?

**couloirman** · 11-15-2007, 02:42 PM

in a word, yes, it is normal. You took the cortizone to mask the pain(and reduce inflammation) so you could do things your body would otherwise say no to. Its like when a football player gets injured but NEEDS to play the second half of the game, hes still injured and should not be doing what hes doing and will hurt a lot the next day/week and is doing damage along the way(not necessarily saying this for your case because I don't know more details) but I think its a reasonable comparison. So I think yes, it is normal, and happened to me too when I got one of those shots in my shoulder to play hockey.

**Sphinx15** · 11-15-2007, 02:47 PM

Completely normal - same thing happened to me when I had a cortisone shot in my elbow - next two days it was like I had a real bad bruise there, but after that it was fine. Pain should subside shortly (24-36 hours) then you'll be good for however long it lasts you. For me it was almost two years before the pain returned.

**wilcox510** · 11-15-2007, 02:49 PM

What couloir says is often true, but there is also a thing called steroid flare. A small percentage of people have a significant increase in pain that starts about 6 hours after the steroid injection, usually lasts 2-3 days. It isn't harmful (just painful), treated with ice and NSAIDs. It is important to distinguish between that and an infection caused by the injection (which would generally be warm and red as well as painful).

**Vinman** · 11-15-2007, 02:57 PM

a better option if you really have an arthritic knee is a lubricant injection. Suparts is the brand the ortho I go to uses. Worked pretty good for me so far.

**Sinecure** · 11-15-2007, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by Vinman

a better option if you really have an arthritic knee is a lubricant injection. Suparts is the brand the ortho I go to uses. Worked pretty good for me so far.

I've done both. Synvisc injections and cortisone.

The synthetic fluid stuff (its made from rooster combs!) works pretty well for many people. The trouble is its a series of 3 injections, each a week apart, and insurance may not pay all of it - its expensive and considered experimental by some insurance.

For me I found similar relief from both. What I find is that they aren't any kind of miracle cure, but allow my knee(s) to recover more quickly when I do abuse them. Mild inflammation and I'm OK the next day. More severe and I need a day off. It used to be at least two days off. This year I'm thinking of a cortisone shot since I haven't had one in a long time. I'm a bit shy about making cortisone a regular procedure since it is a steroid after all.

**NorCascader** · 11-15-2007, 03:08 PM

the country-town ortho said that he would only give me one cortisone shot....
(I hate it when doctors tell you what you will have or not)

But, he's going to start me on a cycle of....wait for it....
ROOSTER COMB?!?!?

Apparently they scalp a rooster, process it and inject a rooster comb into your joint.

Medicine reverts back to middle age witches brews

**Vinman** · 11-15-2007, 03:21 PM

sinecure: cortisone is a corticosteroid not an anabolic steroid, corticosteroids reduce inflammation, anabolics make your mucsles bigger and your testicles smaller. Big difference.

Multiple corticosteroid injections can weaken ligamament and tendon, this is why typically they will only do 1 or 2, 3 is the max and that is over a period of several months.

The liquified rooster comb lube injection has few if any side effects aside from making your wallet smaller.

**TBS** · 11-15-2007, 08:46 PM

The lidocane is supposed to provide relief for the 72 hrs until the cortisone gets the inflammation down, but everybody metabolizes drugs differently. See your doc if it still hurts 4 days after the shot

The shot will let you ski but be careful. Like Vinman sez, cortisone can weaken connective tissue. You will feel like charging but mistakes can be really messy to repair - I learned this the hard way

Have you tried glucosamine/condritin? Some people swear by it for their knees.

Have fun at Baker

**NorCascader** · 11-16-2007, 01:46 PM

damn...day two and my shit is killing me.

Time for the xtra strength pills.
fack

**ECKerry** · 11-16-2007, 03:52 PM

I've had both cortisone shots and Synvisc injections. Both caused general achiness and a bit of swelling for a couple of days afterward, then much less pain than before the shots.

When I got cortisone in my wrist 10 years ago it hurt a lot more than the shots in my knee ever did though.

For those who have done both cortisone and the rooster combs, are the rooster combs longer lasting than steroids?

**Sinecure** · 11-16-2007, 05:18 PM

I think the synvisc lasted longer. Somewhere in the 4-6 month range.

**Vinman** · 11-16-2007, 07:22 PM

for sure the lubricants should last longer usually in the 6 mo range. The ortho that I work with says that the lubes work in about 50-60% of cases. As with all things they do not work for everyone.

For some of my rehab patients that have the injections in both knees it may work in one but not the other. Why, I don't know. But I do think the 50-60% figure is close.