Cortisone shots are frequently recommended by orthopedic specialists for muscle and joint pain. These shots wipe out inflammation and hopefully your pain.
Sounds good right? Not so fast.
Is inflammation the problem? No.
Inflammation is the effect of your problem.
Let's break it down
When a tendon, muscle, or joint gets overloaded, it gets injured. It will inflame.
Inflammation is needed for proper healing. If the inflammation is removed, the healing process cannot occur. So your injured tendon, muscle, or joint never recovers.
Removing inflammation leads to another big problem. You take away the warning that alerts you something is wrong. That warning is your pain!!!
Cortisone removes pain... But pain is not your problem. Your problem is your injured body part. The purpose of your pain is to stop you from beating up your body. If you aren’t getting this warning, you keep damaging the area. Then things can get really bad.
This is why once the cortisone shot wears off, your pain comes back even stronger and another injection or surgery gets recommended by your orthopedic. This cycle will never end.
and that's not the only problem...
Cortisone actually eats away at your cartilage.
So if you get an injection into your joint, that joint will be further damaged by the exact thing that is supposed to help it.
The injection weakens the tendon and can even cause it to rip. The injection should never be done directly into a tendon.
Other possible side effects:
1) Joint Infection.
2) Nerve Damage.
3) Thinning of skin and soft tissue around the injection site.
4) Thinning of nearby bone (Osteoporosis).
5) Bone Death (Osteonecrosis).
6) Weight Gain.
7) Elevated Blood Pressure.
8) Acne (steroid acne).
9) Whitening or lightening of the skin around the injection site.
10) Easy bruising.
11) Increased blood sugar levels in diabetics
The only person who should be getting a cortisone shot is a pro athlete that has a huge competition in the near future, and they accept the long term consequences of the injection.
You probably aren’t that person.
So what should you do if you are thinking about a cortisone shot?
Schedule a consultation with my office. You need a long term solution and the only way you will get that is by first finding the true cause of your injury and then getting the advanced treatment to fix it.
If you or someone you know is considering a cortisone shot, I recommend sharing this post and coming to my office for a second opinion.
Dr. Wengert explains what really happens when you get a cortisone injection.
At Veracity Soft Tissue and Spine, Dr. Wengert specializes in finding and fixing the true cause of your muscle and joint pain. Dr. Wengert brings something special to Sarasota and Bradenton in that he is one of only two full body certified Integrative Diagnosis providers in the state of Florida. Integrative Diagnosis is the most advanced diagnosis and treatment system for muscle and joint pain.
To schedule an appointment, call (941) 896-2175.