CSR steroid injection

[Blue-green]

I have chronic CSR and am due to have a steroid injection for a frozen shoulder. I don't know if all steroid treatments can potentially cause a problem. Can anyone advise please?

[tallyho]

I think you should be ok. I have had steroid injections in my shoulders for frozen shoulder and thumb and am a steroid responder ( which means I can’t have them in my eyes as my iop goes too high) so you should in theory be fine. But as they always say check when you have it done. A pharmacist might be able to answer this question they are generally quite good at answering questions like this I have found.

[Ayayay80]

Hi Blue-green

A steroid injection into the affected joint may well give you temporary relief from frozen shoulder. I say temporary! Steroids, like all drugs, can cause other problems. Does your opthalmologist know about this treatment? I think he ought to.

I know from personal experience a frozen shoulder is very, very painful. For 6 months my left arm was useless, had to use my right to move its position when it needed moving and I could hardly dress myself. Despite all that, my consultant advised me against injections. Gradually I learnt to use my left arm a little at the time. A year later my arm was "almost" back to normal, just feeling a some resistance, but eventually that too disappeared. Luckily, i had retired from work, so I got by in a fashion.

Of course, we are all different and health problems may manifest and resolve themselves differently in each one of us.

Best wishes.

PS. During that time I fell onto my bad shoulder and I just wanted stay where I was and die!

[Blue-green in reply to Ayayay80]

Hi thank you for your response. I haven't been able to check with my consultant as I only found out about the steroid on Friday. Will call them tomorrow. The pain isn't constant as yet but is building

[tallyho]

Hope all goes well. For me I had both injected it completely fixed one shoulder with just one injection the other I had to have an operation on.

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Dear Blue-green,

Yes, a call to your ophthalmologist via their secretary seems to be the best initial move to get your concerns addressed.

Kind regards,

Macular Society helpline

0300 3030 111

[Hidden]

I have steroid injections in my hip but nobody has ever commented on a link between them and my eye. Over the last couple of years I have been pressed to have steroid implants in my eye but have rejected them.

[Blue-green in reply to Hidden]

Hi rennatk

Do you have central serous retinopathy?

[Hidden in reply to Blue-green]

No, my condition is cystoid macular oedema caused by radiation damage after treatments for eye cancer.

[Blue-green in reply to Hidden]

I don't know if that is affected by steroids the same way that csr is?

[Hidden in reply to Blue-green]

The steroid, Ozurdex, was apparently in use prior to anti-VEGF drugs such as Avastin , Lucentis etc. My oedema can benefit from the steroid implant but at a price. Cataract is certain, glaucoma is high risk. Ozurdex has a good result for many after one or even two implants but subsequent ones seem to be less beneficial. I have resisted them so far but am prepared to take my chances if all else fails. To a large extent I am looking to hold out until some other option comes along.

[Blue-green]

I have spoken to the hospital today and they have said it is my decision to make. They are unable to advise me not to have the injection if I need it but have confirmed it could make the csr worse.

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner in reply to Blue-green]

Dear Blue-green,

I will see what I can find out for you.

Kind regards,

Macular Society helpline

0300 3030 111

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Dear Blue-green,

I have checked with an ophthalmologist on your behalf and they have also confirmed that any form of steroid can cause the CSR to worsen.

Kind regards,

Macular Society helpline

0300 3030 111

[Blue-green in reply to Rosalyn-helpline]

Thank you Rosalyn. I have decided not to have the steroid

[rosyG in reply to Blue-green]

sorry it's so difficult for you and hope you get some relief

[Catseyes235]

Frozen shoulder is symptomatic of thyroid problems. When I had this my GP said it was the thyroid ask the hospital. The hospital said no nothing to do with thyroid ask your doctor ! I went along to a self help group (pre social media) and asked 'does anyone hear get a painful shoulder?'. Almost all said they did but none of us knew individually whether it was connected to our various thyroid conditions and it did not appear in any literature at the time. Now it is but still not widely known it seems.

What cured mine was a wonderful osteopath who also practiced acupuncture and it took about three sessions plus excellent advice from her (do not wear a long strap handbag on your shoulder especially so use a rucksack or strap over your head) and gentle excercise. Steroids should only be a last resort and only after your condition has settled.

(Another weird sensation is a feeling like having a rubber band round ones wrist!!)

I do hope you get relief from this horrible condition soon as possible . Good luck.

[carolineJames]

I had a frozen shoulder. I was given some yoga exercises.i was told not to ‘baby it’. I laughed at first as I could barely move the arm. But I persisted and did ‘as best I could’ which to begin with was barely anything. And only then with pain. However, once it started to improve it did so rapidly and to my surprise I had full movement back in 6 weeks. Do the exercises is my best advise and work through the pain to do them.