Cortizone Shots?

[kduncan5]

I've been working at a place where alot of heavy lifting is involved. Lately, both of my shoulders have been killing me!:frown:

It has been suggested that cortizone shots might cure the relentless pain, and that they could last for as long as 10 years.

Has anyone ever had these shots? Do they help? Are there any reasons why I shouldn't have this done?

Thanks, -kd5-

 

[Rallispec]

my roomate had one done in his elbow after he hurt pitching in a baseball game.

worked great for him. I'm not sure exactly what it does or how it works though. I think the only side effects come with repeated shots-- but i may be completely wrong with that.

 

[MichaelD]

<< my roomate had one done in his elbow after he hurt pitching in a baseball game.

worked great for him. I'm not sure exactly what it does or how it works though. I think the only side effects come with repeated shots-- but i may be completely wrong with that. >>



No, you're not far off, Rallispec. Cortizone does help, but it eventually destroys the very muscle it's being injected into. This takes some time though. Depending on the frequency of the shots, you can get reliant on the Cortizone, which is a bad thing.

I used to have very bad muscle spasms in my Trapezious (sp?) muscles, particularly on the right side. Muscle relaxers (while great mixed with beer...) only put me to sleep and treated the symptom and not the cause. I got two Cortizone shots, prolly about a month apart. AFter about 48 hours, no more spasms. Thankfully, the muscles corrected themselves, to a point and now the pain in only bad (as opposed to very bad

) so no more shots for me.

Is this a new job for you? Are you not used to the amount of physical labor involved? That will come w/time. Good luck. Stay away from the shot unless absolutely necessary.

 

[kduncan5]

Thanks Rallispec, MichaelD.

No, I've had this job for almost a year, but it's been getting very painful lately. It's enough to wipe the smile right off my face. Someone suggested it might be rotator cups, but I'm too much of a baby to have major surgery done -kd5-

 

[rgwalt]

I would try to stay away from them as much as possible. Your body will develop a tolorance to the shots. Try chiropractic medicine.

Ryan

 

[LadyJessica]

It's a steroidal anti-inflammatory.

 

[Pundit]

I had a cortizone shot into my wrist after a ganglion cyst built up there from either pushups or boxing. It is the opposite of steroids. It breaks down tissue instead of helping it build. I suggest you get into the work slowly. Find another way to help your muscles relax. Foreign substances are bad.

 

[AreaCode707]

I've had cortizone shots in my hands to treat arthritis - hurts like hell. If you want to ask a bunch of people who've had them, check out the medication question forum on that site.

 

[kduncan5]

I posted this above but may have been too late editing, for everyone to read:


No, I've had this job for almost a year, but it's been getting very painful lately. It's enough to wipe the smile right off my face. Someone suggested it might be rotator cups, but I'm too much of a baby to have major surgery done -kd5-

 

[LadyJessica]

It is the opposite of steroids. It breaks down tissue instead of helping it build.

It is a steroidal anti-inflammatory with both glucocorticoid and mineralcoriticoid activity.

 

[kduncan5]

Well, I'm a small-boned, small-framed person whose specialty in life is Payroll Processing, Human Resources, etc. But the place I worked at closed down, and I haven't been able to find anything in my chosen field, so I ended up w/ this job almost a year ago.

Everybody needs a payroll processor, just.......not right now. -kd5-

 

[FoBoT]

<< I've had cortizone shots in my hands to treat arthritis - hurts like hell. >>



i had one in my knee a couple years ago

hurts like hell is an UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!!!!

that was the most painful thing i have ever gone through

i won't get another one just cause it hurt so bad

it did help my knee , for about 6 weeks

 

[FelixDeCat]

Change jobs as fast as possible! You dont want to get hooked on steroids.

 

[911paramedic]

Cortisone will only help certian conditions. You need to see an ortho, sports related would be best, and probably have an MRI to find out what is causing the pain in the first place.

 

[911paramedic]

Here is a little more info for you: (I have had five operations on my right shoulder myself, so I have experience with the shots)

Although conservative treatment of ice, exercises, NSAIM and physical therapy may be of some help, a cortisone injection is often required. Contrary to popular belief, this does not have to hurt excessively if the doctor is gentle and experienced in doing this procedure.

However, this injection should not be done more than two to three times. If a patient doesn't improve, more studies, such as an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), should be done to rule out other possibly, more serious conditions such as a rotator cuff tear, which can be worsened by repeated cortisone shots. Unfortunately, rotator cuff tears, which usually occur in more elderly patients, carry with it a very guarded prognosis. Even with surgical intervention, this injury almost never results in full strength and range of motion, although the pain may improve.


Taken from here