Cortisone shot in my knee?

[patrickd]

Hi! Anyone help me regarding Cortisone shots? I had a shot in my knee yesterday and it is NO better at all today. How long does it take to "kick in" for the most part??

[Neonkittie17]

You are usually advised to immobilise your knee/leg for best results for 24 hours street. Then go steady the second day. Mine is usually around 24-36 hours to properly kick in but does start to reduce swelling for me much soon than that. You can feel stiff as you’ve laid still etc and the needle may have tweaked and bruised you a little.

[patrickd in reply to Neonkittie17]

Yes Brused! My doctor never tells me to NOT move. She's probably right with that too because I always get worse when I "stop" being active. IDK. In this case though, I just can't move it. Painful to touch and put weight on. Time will tell! Thank you so much for advice.!

[Neonkittie17 in reply to patrickd]

The senior/experienced rheumatologists I’ve met over the past 26 years of my RA insist it’s supposed to work better if you immobilise the joint for 24 hours. Apart from essential bathroom visits. A senior top physio told me too. I have always had excellent results with knee steroid shots as I’ve stayed still with legs up for 24 hours then taken it steady the next 24. Each of us are different but I would not want to do anything to hamper my success with the shots. Hope it works and you soon feel relief. 🙏🏻

[patrickd in reply to Neonkittie17]

I stayed off it all day yesterday (yep, except for bathroom breaks). Hurts even MORE today. Feeling down.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to patrickd]

For the good of the knee and for long term relief give it the second day of rest then ease back to your normal. Then you know you’ve done all you can. The injection site can be sore for a few days but after 4 of 5 days I find its fully recovered. The rheumys always tell you to look for redness and heat and contact them if it doesn’t calm down but if you’ve none of that then I hope it will be fine and has worked. 🙏🏻

[rounder]

I was advised to rest the knee\leg for 48 hours for maximum benefit. I find steroid jabs start to kick in on 2nd or 3rd day but take around a week to reach full efficacy. Hope you get some relief from yours.

[patrickd in reply to rounder]

Another as stated! My doctor didn't tell me this. She did tell me to "lay off" activity (I ride my bike and swim regularly) for a day or so. Start slowly and gradually increase. I just wondered if this was normal to have pain the day after? I've had these shots previously in my shoulders and both my wrists and felt relief within 24hrs. This is different.

[Madmusiclover in reply to patrickd]

I had mine a while ago now but from memory it took a few days to kick in. Unlike you my wrists were agony after injection. Ended up in A and E!

[Neonkittie17 in reply to patrickd]

The pain is likely to be bruising and tenderness where the needle went and also stiff tissue round the knee.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to patrickd]

... but you don’t weight bear on your shoulders or wrists. (Conversely my shoulder took an age to come round after a steroid shot. )

[KittyJ]

Not an instant thing in my experience. Make sure you rest up, as the others have already said, for a couple of days. Give it a chance to work 😊

[patrickd in reply to KittyJ]

Thank you so much!

[patrickd]

It's wonderful to have a source of information like this. Noone understands what we experience (although everyone is different), the disease is the same. We look fine but inside I feel as though something is eating away at my bone. Pain is just horrific.

[rounder in reply to patrickd]

I wonder if an ice pack might help relieve the pain? My knee had a huge bruise after the steroid shot and was definitely sore for a few days. I do remember the first joint injection being told it might increase pain temporarily because injecting liquid in to a tight space increases the pressure inside it.Maybe worth monitoring for swelling and heat and a raised temperature, very occasionally folk can get a joint infection following an injection.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to rounder]

Yes was just going to add a tight space of excess fluid there or enlarged swollen tissue makes it more painful. I must have had 12 knee injections and they all work for around 7-9 months to stop a Baker Cush recurring. Every one I’ve immobilised the knee for 24 hours then been very careful re movement the following 24. They’ve always worked.

[Downtime]

I haven’t had one in my knee but sometimes when I’ve had hip ones I get a steroid flare for a day or two afterwards and the pain can be even worse. Then once it subsides it gradually gets better but it can take a weeks or so.

[Jackie1947]

You need to move the knee but not overdo it for 24hrs. People differ. Some get immediate benefit some weeks later. Also it can depend on our weight as knees take a lot of pressure.

[patrickd in reply to Jackie1947]

I can't hold out weeks! I hope I get relief soon. I have two kids 12 & 14 who are bored. I'm "ok" I think weight wise. My current weight is 125 although I've gained in the past week given an increase in my Prednisone dose. Just that small weight gain can have an effect I know!

[Jackie1947 in reply to patrickd]

. I was told it COULD take weeks but that doesn’t mean it will. Some people feel the benefit sooner some don’t feel any benefit at all, Hopefully the age your children are they should understand what you’re going through and find something to do so they aren’t bored. Good luck!

[Mrspainting48]

Would love to take part...indeed i tried...It would not let me pass the question about which drug i was taking.....none of the above should have been an option.......

Thanks

[Ms-D]

I had one two years ago along with a knee aspiration. It hurt for few days but helped for a good few months. I am sorry to hear you're in pain. Rest up and stay off your legs for a day or two if possible

[Maramara]

Hi, don t want to scare you but the only shot I had in my knee made things worse for me. Ever since that day my leg became more sore and stiff and it never went away. I wish I never had that shot. Hope it will be better for you!

[JustHereForGin]

I've had a few in my knee now and always advised not to move it afterwards. However, they never really work for me. I end up having no pain for a week/ten days before it starts up again.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to JustHereForGin]

They last 7-9 months for me so worth it but no it’s not the same for everyone.

[Green230461]

Must admit I have had this and my knee got worse before it got better! Two weeks before it kicked in and then lasted about six months so hold on in there. I was told to continue with painkillers and to move as little as possible except toilet visits for two days- no shower as knee won’t take your weight 🌺

[patrickd in reply to Green230461]

It sounds as everyone (as I expected to hear) has had different responses. Honestly, I am relieved to hear it took a while to "kick in" (no pun intended). My knee is worse since the shot given 36hours ago. I have very limited pain relief (4 pain killers a day) and some OTC options (Tylenol, Advil) but very little relief. Apparently, if I get no relief that is, I will an MRI. This sucks. I do not "do" being immobile well at all. I swim, walk, do a stair climbing, ride my bike and I am missing it ALL. THANK you ALL from the bottom of my heart for each and every single one of your responses, advice and support!

[Green230461 in reply to patrickd]

I was also told to use hot /cold or both compresses every couple of hours to support painkillers. Immobility is the key I am afraid to allow the goo to disperse into the joint. Adding more liquid to an area full of liquid seems a bit counter intuitive to me but then again I am not a medic. Best of luck Patrick and stay off your bike 😎

[charisma]

Whenever I have had a shot into a joint, told to rest the joint/s for 24-48 hours. Hope your knee might improve soon if you do nothing strenuous and maybe use a knee support.

[4201]

It should have worked within a day. I was no better after receiving a shot in my knee and in excruciating pain. Turns out I had fractured my tibia just below the knee. You may need an MRI.

[patrickd in reply to 4201]

Did you fall or anything? I didn't fall. I was just walking up the stairs as I normally do and heard or felt a "crack" of which my joints "do" crack often.

[Bernieisinthe]

My Doctor said it would get worse before it gets better. The needle has a pain killer in it that wears off before the healing starts.

[patrickd in reply to Bernieisinthe]

That's what I've heard. Honestly, I don't know if it is just wishing or what BUT it SEEMS maybe a tiny bit better today???

[BonnieG123]

I’ve had several cortisone shots in my knees. They’ve all been ho-hum until the last one. In May I asked when I could get the next gel shot and was told not til November but I could get a steroid shot. It hurt more than any other shot I’ve gotten but no sooner was the needle out and my whole body was singing with no pain. My body pains are slowly coming back and my knee is still bone on bone but it was a most enjoy experience while it lasted. Most people without pain have no idea of the blessing they have. I know some shots take a while to help, so hang in there. I hope tomorrow yours kicks in and you get some blessed relief.

[patrickd in reply to BonnieG123]

Interesting. I thought the shots were the same...just a steroid being injected of which I was told could only be done every (I believe) 3 months depending on the area. IDK. I guess something is better than nothing as a treatment. I thank you so much for wishing me pain relief. I hope you also get some too. Do you ever feel like you've been in pain so long that you really don't know what it would feel like to not have pain?

[BonnieG123 in reply to patrickd]

Hi, Patrickd. I’ve been there. When I first went to my rheumatologist I could barely walk into her office. She put me on MTX with a constant upping of my dose. I reached a point where I was so sick I could hardly get out of bed. And refused to take it any longer. Miraculously, my pain subsided to tolerable. As there are no definitive answers with this disease, it seems that maybe the RA is in a sort of remission with my OA and fibro causing most of my pain. I think my steroid shot was because my orthodontist gave me the shot and being a sports doctor the dosage may be higher than what my rheumy had given me in the past. Again, wishing you pain relief soon. Prayer and mediation work. If you haven’t been, do!! God bless.

[BonnieG123 in reply to BonnieG123]

Patrickd, it was my orthopedist not orthodontist. I had a gel shot in January that didn’t help much. Can’t have another of those til November so the steroid is to help in between.

[4201]

I was walking on a wooded trail at a local park and stepped on a hidden stump that twisted my knee but I did not fall. My rheumatologist diagnised it as Bursitis and injected cortisone. Walked on my fractured tibia for weeks before correctly identifying it.