Steroid Injections

When you suffer a sprain, break a bone or cut yourself, you will notice redness around the wound or injury. This kind of inflammation occurs when the body is trying to protect the area against foreign substances such as bacteria or viruses. However, inflammation can cause pain, swelling and other problems. An injection of corticosteroids can help. It has fewer side effects than steroids in pill form and can provide relief for up to a month or longer.

Steroid injections are often recommended for people with rheumatoid arthritis and other types of inflammatory arthritis. They may also be recommended for osteoarthritis if your joints are very painful or if you need extra pain relief for a time. The injection can reduce inflammation, which in turn should reduce pain.

Steroid injections can’t treat the underlying cause of your condition, but they can treat the symptoms.

Several different steroids are available for injection. Common examples of steroid injections are:

• hydrocortisone (hi-dro-cor-tee-zone)
• triamcinolone (try-am-sin-o-lone)
• methylprednisolone (meth-al-pred-niss-o-lone).

Some steroid injections start to relieve pain within hours and the effects should last about a week. Other steroid injections take around a week to become effective but can ease your symptoms for two months or longer. These are described as less soluble, because the drug takes longer to get into your system. How quick the treatment works, and how long it lasts will also depend on your condition.

However, steroid injections should be used with care in young people. Only the lowest effective dose should be given, and for the shortest possible time. Too much steroid treatment for children could affect their growth.

If you think you might be a candidate for a steroid injection, Contact Us for a consultation.