cortizone shots?

**blood riot iori** · Posted On: 9/27/2010 2:38pm

it's far too long of a story to go into, but lets just say i have some pretty bad tendonitis in my elbows (especially my left). I've been putting up with it for a long ass time and i'm sick of it, as it's hampered my physical training by easily 70%.

Anyways rant over, i'm curious if anyone here has any experience with cortizone shots, if they've helped, hurt more, etc etc. What are the pros what are the cons?

Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 9/27/2010 2:49pm

Originally Posted by blood riot iori

it's far too long of a story to go into, but lets just say i have some pretty bad tendonitis in my elbows (especially my left). I've been putting up with it for a long ass time and i'm sick of it, as it's hampered my physical training by easily 70%.

Anyways rant over, i'm curious if anyone here has any experience with cortizone shots, if they've helped, hurt more, etc etc. What are the pros what are the cons?

Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.

I did a thread question on this a couple of years ago and got some feedback. It burned like **** for the first two days and then it felt amazing. I was able to fully move my foot, swelling and bruising went away.

Two years later, I still occasionally get pain in that exact same spot but it is gone within a few hours or a day. I knew this would happen as the doctor indicated it was deep damage but the benefits outweigh the costs. I was truly glad I got it.

From what I recall of what the doctor said, you can get accustomed to cortisone shots and it can weaken the tendon and muscle tissue and make it more difficult to heal and/or a longer healing time....but I don't have any source evidence for this, only a 2yr. old recollection of one doctor's comment when asked about a follow up shot.

**blood riot iori** · Posted On: 9/27/2010 3:21pm

Originally Posted by Snake Plissken

I did a thread question on this a couple of years ago and got some feedback. It burned like **** for the first two days and then it felt amazing. I was able to fully move my foot, swelling and bruising went away.

Two years later, I still occasionally get pain in that exact same spot but it is gone within a few hours or a day. I knew this would happen as the doctor indicated it was deep damage but the benefits outweigh the costs. I was truly glad I got it.

From what I recall of what the doctor said, you can get accustomed to cortisone shots and it can weaken the tendon and muscle tissue and make it more difficult to heal and/or a longer healing time....but I don't have any source evidence for this, only a 2yr. old recollection of one doctor's comment when asked about a follow up shot.

i see :) So you only got 1 shot then and still to this day it feels close to 99% better? Ya i heard the same thing about getting too many of them, but i was thinking i could try one out and then see how it went, then if it DID do the trick, to get it in my other elbow, then maybe in my shoulders since i have impinged nerves there -_-

So it seems that after the shot it hurts like a bitch for a day or so but then feels awesome. How was the shot itself? Did it hurt alot or not feel like anything or...?

Now mind you i've had these injuries for a LONGGG time, so i'm curious if it'd still help me even after all this time.

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 9/27/2010 3:34pm

Originally Posted by blood riot iori

i see :) So you only got 1 shot then and still to this day it feels close to 99% better?

pretty much, yeah.
I was amazed.

Ya i heard the same thing about getting too many of them, but i was thinking i could try one out and then see how it went, then if it DID do the trick, to get it in my other elbow, then maybe in my shoulders since i have impinged nerves there -_-

I don't know about the shoulders, I would defer to a physician, but from my personal experience with shoulders and neck acupuncture worked wonders for me.

if your doctor thinks cortisone would be good for your shoulders, than try it. However they may prescribe heat/massage/manual recovery

So it seems that after the shot it hurts like a bitch for a day or so but then feels awesome.

Again, personal experience, it burned like the fires of Hades for a day or two and then when the burning subsided, the paid did as well......as did the need for taping my foot as I had been doing.
the reoccurence of pain and need for taping, as I said, has been sporadic and the pain is easily staved off with two Tylenol and doesn't last more than a few hours....certainly less than a day. It seems to occur when I wear a certain type of shoe.

How was the shot itself? Did it hurt alot or not feel like anything or...?

Mine was full needle, in my foot and I had no less than 10 entry points (outside and inside both sides of each toe) so it seemed to hurt like a mother and I didn't get any numbing....however my foot already hurt like a mother so the pricking of the needle was far less noticeable than the original pain and was quickly replaced with molten lava in my foot.

Now mind you i've had these injuries for a LONGGG time, so i'm curious if it'd still help me even after all this time.

I put off going to the podiatrist for much longer than I should have...but if your elbow is like "tennis elbow" it is likely constant reinflammation of the tendons so I expect it should help considerably.

Consult your ortho or sports medicine doctor and have him/her chart the best course for your recovery.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 9/27/2010 5:14pm

Are you doing any rehab?

**Ryno** · Posted On: 9/28/2010 12:23pm

Cortisone just knocks down the inflamation, but won't fix any structural issues that might be causing the inflamation to begin with. I got a couple of shots for my shoulder and my shoulder felt great for about 4-6 months, but eventually the pain came back. After rehab, shoulder was better, and no shots are now needed needed.

Usually, you don't just do cortisone shots. Doctors will often use them in conjunction with rehab. In my case, the shots did take down the inflamation enough to actually do the rehab without the pain that the inflamation was causing.

**Kickapoo** · Posted On: 9/29/2010 10:26pm

Are you sure your tendonitis is not from your admitted overtraining?

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 9/29/2010 10:43pm

Originally Posted by Kickapoo

Are you sure your tendonitis is not from your admitted overtraining?

I thought the same thing after reading his other thread...

**Speed3** · Posted On: 10/01/2010 11:52am

My insurance required me to have a cortizone shot prior to physical therapy and MRI. The shot itself was painful and did not reduce the inflamation in my shoulder. First day of physical therapy I was diagnosed with tear in my superior labrum (SLAP). MRI confirmed and had surgery which also ended up including removal of part of my clavicle via bone saw. Go to a specialist that only does shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Consulatations are cheap and at least you will have an idea of what is going on. I learned that by waiting and trying to work through the pain that I had done more damage during the inflamation period than during the initial injury.

Good luck!