This includes prescription medicines and ones that you buy like paracetamol , ibuprofen and aspirin. It also includes herbal remedies and supplements. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Hydrocortisone injections contain the active ingredient hydrocortisone. This is a steroid or corticosteroid. The injection releases the hydrocortisone slowly into the part of your body that is painful or swollen.
Like other steroids, it works by calming down your immune system. This reduces inflammation and helps to relieve the pain and swelling. A hydrocortisone injection usually takes a few days to start working — although sometimes they work in just a few hours. If your pain and swelling gets better after a single hydrocortisone injection, you may not need another one.
If you have a long-term problem and hydrocortisone injections work well, you may carry on having them. Doctors usually recommend waiting at least 3 months before having another hydrocortisone injection in the same joint. The injection can be a little uncomfortable, but many people say they're not as bad as they thought they would be. Hydrocortisone injections usually help with pain and swelling for around 2 months.
They can also make movement easier. If you have a short-term joint injury, an injection will often help you start to move again so that your body can heal itself. For long-term joint pain, an injection should help for a few months, but you may need further injections. Hydrocortisone injections can sometimes affect your immune system, so you're more likely to catch infections such as flu , the common cold and chest infections.
Keep away from people with infectious diseases, especially chickenpox , shingles or measles. If you've never had these illnesses they could make you very ill. Tell your doctor straight away if you come into contact with someone who has chickenpox, shingles or measles. Your doctor may be able to prescribe a medicine to protect you.
Before you have a vaccination, mention to the healthcare professional that you're taking a steroid. It's possible that if you have a "live" vaccine around the time that you have a hydrocortisone injection, your immune system might not be strong enough to handle it. This could lead to you getting an infection. Inactive vaccinations, like the injected flu vaccine , are safe.
If you need to have a live vaccine, check with the nurse or doctor that it's safe for you. If you have regular hydrocortisone injections, your doctor may give you a blue steroid card. Carry this with you all the time. The card is the size of a credit card and fits into your wallet or purse.
It gives advice on how you can reduce the risks of side effects. It also gives details of your doctor, how much hydrocortisone you're getting and how long your treatment will last for. If you need any medical or dental treatment, show your steroid card to the doctor or dentist. Ask your pharmacist or doctor if you do not have one. You can eat and drink normally before and after a hydrocortisone injection. Hydrocortisone injections do not affect any types of contraception, including the combined pill or emergency contraception.
NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are medicines that are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Some can be bought over the counter from pharmacies, while others need a prescription. NSAID creams and gels can help if you have muscle or joint pain in a particular part of your body, as they tend to have fewer side effects than tablets or capsules. They include painkilling creams such as ibuprofen or diclofenac. You massage these into the skin over the painful area.
If these treatments do not work, your doctor can prescribe stronger painkillers such as naproxen and codeine. It's best to ask for expert advice from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist.
Page last reviewed: 18 December Next review due: 18 December Hydrocortisone injections On this page About hydrocortisone injections Key facts Who can and cannot have hydrocortisone injections How and when to have hydrocortisone injections Side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about hydrocortisone.
About hydrocortisone injections Hydrocortisone injections are used to treat swollen or painful joints, such as after an injury or if you have arthritis. NHS coronavirus advice As long as you have no symptoms of coronavirus infection, carry on taking your prescribed steroid medicine as usual. Updated: 20 March Other types of hydrocortisone There are different types of hydrocortisone, including skin creams, suppositories and tablets.
Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Hydrocortisone injections for joint pain work by releasing the medicine slowly into the joint. This reduces pain and swelling. After an injection, your joint may feel better for several months —sometimes as long as a year. Some people get increased pain and swelling in their joint immediately after having the injection. This pain tends to go away after a few days. But repeated injections into one joint can increase the risk of damage.
Recent studies suggest that other injections can be helpful for arthritis and tendonitis with potentially fewer side effects. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance found in normal joints and tendons. There is evidence that hyaluronic acid injections provide longer pain relief in arthritis compared to cortisone. Also, we use hyaluronic acid for injections in plantaris-associated Achilles tendonitis.
Platelet-rich plasma is obtained by spinning whole blood from a patient. The plasma, which contains a high concentration of platelets and growth factors, is injected into tendons and joints. There is good evidence that PRP provides long-term pain relief for knee arthritis and some tendons.
You can read more about the positive effects of PRP on arthritis and tendonitis. We have also written a blog on PRP injections for knee arthritis. Finally, recent evidence suggests that combining the two — hyaluronic acid and PRP — might be better for knee arthritis.
Overall, we think that a cortisone shot is a safe and effective procedure for many MSK conditions. However, cortisone injections can be harmful in the wrong hands. As such, you should see a medical doctor with experience in ultrasound-guided injections and avoid non-medical practitioners. All the best. Very interesting. Lots of good information. Do you have any information about a series of gel shots given in 5 days?
Wondering how long this relieves the pain? Thanks for the comment. Gel shots usually last from months. Nowadays, I tend to use the concentrated form so you only need one shot. Thank you for your comment. It can be normal to have pain from a cortisone shot that extends a little from the injection site — so for the knee — pain can extend to the lower part of the thigh.
However, this pain should settle after days. Cortisone shot is such a helpful injection to get relaxed from the pain. The information shared here is so useful to learn so much about cortisone shots. Thank you for sharing the information. Hi, I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder 5 days ago. The shot was very painful. After the initial pain I was pain free the entire day. I called the doctors office and they said to rest it and ice it.
Before the shot I could raise my arm straight up, then I would feel pain. One I had years ago, and the other maybe a year ago. I have never felt this pain and discomfort before. The pain is not as bad as it was 4 days ago, but my should is worse off.
Could the PA have botched to shot? I spoke to her today and she said that she injected into a small space, and give it some time.
Does it sound like my shoulder will ever get back to at least how it was, or is my should severely limited now? Unfortunately, despite previous successful injections, you can sometimes experience an adverse reaction to a cortisone injection. Generally, these reactions are short-lived and do not last for greater than weeks.
I had steroid injection 4 days ago for gluteal retinopathy and bursitis. I still have pain especially putting weight on my leg.
Is this usual, should I rest it and what should I expect? Your advice would be welcome. Hi Ann, yes cortisone flare can last up to a week. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
View Larger Image. Why do we use cortisone? Will a cortisone shot hurt? You need to tell your doctor about your medical history Overall, cortisone shots are very safe.
How long does it take for a cortisone shot to work? How long does cortisone injection last? How long does cortisone stay in your system? What are the side effects of a cortisone shot? Generally, cortisone shots are very safe if used for the right reasons. This side effect can be reduced by using ultrasound.
Bleeding into joints temporary increase in blood sugar in diabetics. This increase lasts for 2 weeks. Cortisone flare causing an increase in pain for the first few days There is some worry about long-term side effects such as weakening of tendon strength or further joint damage.
For example, recent studies suggest that repeated cortisone injections can damage cartilage. Moreover, a cortisone injection can weaken tendon strength for a few weeks. But we can reduce these concerns by using cortisone shots sparingly and for the right reasons. Also, using ultrasound to direct the injection into the right spot reduces the chances of a poorer result.
Pain after cortisone injection: what does it mean? There is evidence that having too many steroid injections into the same area can cause damage to the tissue inside the body.
You may be advised to have less than that depending on your symptoms. There is a small risk that if you exercise a joint too much immediately after a steroid injection you could damage the tendon. Tendons are strong cords that attach muscles to bones. Start off gently and gradually increase the amount you do. Most people have steroid injections without any side effects.
They can be a little uncomfortable at the time of injection, but many people feel that this is not as bad as they feared. Occasionally people notice a flare-up in their joint pain within the first 24 hours after an injection. This usually settles by itself within a couple of days, but taking simple painkillers like paracetamol will help.
The risk of side effects is greatest with the stronger mixtures — methylprednisolone and triamcinolone. Injections can occasionally cause some thinning or changes in the colour of the skin at the injection site, particularly with the stronger ones. Very rarely you may get an infection in the joint at the time of an injection. If your joint becomes more painful and hot you should see your doctor immediately, especially if you feel unwell. People are often concerned about the possibility of other steroid-related side effects such as weight gain.
One of the advantages of steroid injections compared to tablets is that often the dose can be kept low. This means that these other side effects are very rare unless injections are given frequently, more than a few times per year. This may be more likely if you have a history of mood disturbance.
If you've had a steroid injection into a joint or muscle, your healthcare professional may give you a steroid card for you to carry around. This will have details of the treatment you've had. Steroid injections can stop the body producing natural hormones, which can be dangerous if you get ill, have an accident or need an operation. There is evidence that this can be a risk for up to one month after just one steroid injection.
If you've had three steroid injections over the course of 12 months, this risk could last for a further 12 months. Keeping the card with you will help any other doctor who treats you to manage your care correctly.
If you have any questions or concerns about this, talk to the healthcare professional who prescribed your steroids. You can take other medicines with steroid injections. This is because of the risk of bleeding into the joint.
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