Steroid injection

[Jamie345]

Has anyone had steroid injections? I am awaiting an appointment for my right shoulder to be done, as I'm right handed it's very hard to do usual task (hair,make up reaching for items from kitchen cupboards to wardrobe amongst a few! )so I requested from my rheumy to have the steroids injections, I had them 15 years ago and I do know they are painful but worked well! But I did not have the polymyalgia or GCA I was suffering with rheumatoid at that time. Can anyone advise me should I have or not? Please

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi Jamie,

I had steroid injections for my arthritic knee & shoulder whilst still on Pred without any problem. Injections are local to the area whereas Pred is in the system so they work in slightly different ways.

Why suffer if they are available. Go for it!

[SheffieldJane]

Somebody was raving about how effective they are the other day. I would definitely go for it.

[fren]

Had one on Tuesday last for bursitis in my knee. It stung for a second or so but otherwise no problem. It has not been an instant miracle, but each following day the pain seems less, though as yet still not very bendy and more painful as the day progresses.

I wasn't specifiaclly told to rest the joint afterwards, but testing it out with piroettes whilst sharing Gym/dance moves with grand daughter seems unwise in retrospect.

Would be really interested if anyone has a 'proper' protocol for after the treatment. Like most of us, I need to get the best out of everything offered.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to fren]

i think you are meant to behave as if you still had an injury for up to 48 hours!!!!

mayoclinic.org/tests-proced...

and icing...

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to fren]

Rest it directly afterwards and the following day! Definitely not dancing...of any form 🤦🏻‍♀️

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I've had steroid injections for hip bursitis - worked a minor miracle. Is the shoulder problem definitely bursitis? Not a rotator cuff injury?

[Jamie345]

I don't know I just suggested steroid injection and rheumy said fine no problem but it would be great if it works like it did 15 years ago but I'm also that much older lol

[Telian]

I've had steroid injections in the past and they do work, however when I had shoulder problems the stiffness was so bad that x-rays were carried out and showed impingement - which was never going to get better on its own. I had keyhole surgery and it was instant relief. So as PMRpro says need to know what the problem is first

[sondya]

Jamie - once GCA was diagnosed in hospital, I was given three prednisone injections before going on to the pills. Didn't even feel the prick of the needle.

[Hirwaen]

Injection for hip bursitis isn't really ' painful' compared to the pain of the bursitis!! Go for it I say, you may only get short term relief but anything is better than nothing!!

[Jamie345]

Thank you for that I will give it ago anything to get some mobility and pain relief even short term would be wonderful.

[Amkoffee]

I've had so many injections and in so many places that I've lost count. I've had many before PMR and many since my diagnosis of PMR. I will say that steroid injections don't always work. I have had great success with them and I've had no success with them. My most recent experience was several trigger point injections in my shoulder blade and neck and shoulder area. I had absolutely no relief from it it at all. And I'm very disappointed about that too. And I am currently scheduled to have an injection in my thumb of my right hand which has osteoarthritis in it. I would agree that they do hurt, some more than others. My pain management doctor uses a spray that she sprays on the skin and it numbs the skin. And it does a awesome job of reducing the amount of pain from the injection. In fact the first time she used it I did not know she had even given me the injection yet. I hope that your injection(s) does not hurt too much and I hope that it works well for you.

[ljbrat61]

I was told by doctors that they would rather not give me steroid injections since I am already on long term steroids. The short benefit does not outweigh the long term effects from too much steroids.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ljbrat61]

I assume they don't have PMR! Local targeted treatment of pain that is not directly PMR but which responds to pred, very often allows you to achieve a lower ongoing daily dose of pred - which balances out relatively quickly. It certainly helps for me. Trochanteric bursitis is a perfect example. To get it under control with oral pred may take several months at (say) 15mg but dealing with it quickly with an injection may allow you to get down to 10mg far sooner than without the injection. Not to mention the improvement in quality of life - I was relatively immoble due to the pain which brought in a lot of other problems as a result.