Just how painful really are cortisone injections??

[SeaSpray]

Just found out that I have plantar fasciitis and a cortisone injection is one treatment option. The doctor seemed to feel that it was the best and quickest choice, as opposed to going for physical therapy (infra-red heat treatments), or using an orthotic insert in my shoe.

I am not afraid of needles in the least but I've always heard people say how extremely painful a cortisone injection is, and that it doesn't always help the pain anyway. Also, the idea of injected a needle into an area that is already extremely painful is not in the least appealing. lol

So tell me how bad cortisone injections are! And if you've had them and didn't think they were bad, let me know that, too. Thanks!

 

[Christine]

Depends where it is. I had one in my foot and it wasn't all that bad. Some people have had them in the shoulder and knee and I hear that they hurt.

 

[Chattyaholic]

Several years ago I had a heel spur. My podiatrist made a special insert for me to wear in my shoe, and I did have a couple cortisone shots over the few weeks I was being treated.

I remember he wouldn't inject the entire shot all at once because yes, it was painful as in a stinging/burning kind of way. It did help though.

 

[DawnCt1]

i had one in my foot and the doc froze the skin with spray, injected a little marcaine and the cortisone to minimize the initial discomfort. i am afraid of needles so that adds to the "stress" but in reality, it didn't hurt as much as i thought. i had one in my hip a few years ago for bursitis, THAT HURT. i had two in my shoulder prior to my rotator cuff surgery. i thought those were REALLY going to hurt but didn't hurt that much. IN THE END, the results are worth it. if if wasn't i would never had another shoulder injection so look at it that way.

 

[wendy46001]

used to get them in the knee...and yes it did hurt (a lot)…...but I was told the knee was the worst place to get them and considering what I originally did to the knee it was far less painful then that....in the end it made it better...

 

[powellrj]

I have had them over the years and while they aren't that painful, I also didn't think they worked that well. I would go with the orthodics. That was were I found the best relief.

 

[Jeafl]

I had plantar fascitis as well, and I have to admit the cortisone shots were pretty painful. I also had the infra-red treatments, the orthotic inserts , the special exercises, and just about any other treatment you can think of. In the end, none of it worked, and I had some experimental surgery (at the time) which I guess is now quite common. They made small incisions on either side of my heels, and used a scalpel to cut the fascia so it wasn't so tight. They actually filmed my surgery as a training video for other doctors. So my feet are quite famous!

It took about 3 months after the surgery for the pain to finally go away, but I have now been pain free for about 13 years, so it was all worth it.

If you do get the shots, keep in mind that you can only have so many before it starts deteriorating bone (or something like that).

 

[Amy]

I've had cortisone injections for plantar fasciitis last year, and they weren't that bad. They relieved the pain for a week or so, but the only thing that really helped were inserts that I found out about right here on the DIS! You can get them from HeelThatPain.com - they're wonderful!

 

[KirstenB]

I had 3 in my lower butt (very glamorous, I know!) for sciatic nerve pain. This was from a running injury I'd struggled with for years. Honestly, I was so ready for the shots, I barely felt them. The pain relief was incredible. Within 24 hrs I felt like a whole new person. I could walk and run without pain for the first time in years.

I think I'm very average in my pain tolerance, not overly brave either. I would echo those posters who said it depends where the shot is going. I'm sure anyplace with lots of nerves is going to hurt more than mine did. In short, for me they were a blessing.

 

[minkydog]

I've had several shots in my heels for plantar faciitis and 3 in my left thumb for arthritis pain. i always dread the shot because i know it's going to hurt, especially the thumb(they have to pull on the joint to open the space for the med to go in ~ow~) It hurts and sometimes I get tears in my eyes,but pretty shortly it feels much better. The thumb is sore for a couple days, but not nearly as bad as it was before the shot, and in just a few more days it is almost pain-free(yay!) The heel pain is gone almost immediately after teh shot--I've literally crawled up on the table and hopped off afterward The only one I would never do again was a shot to the instep, between the bones--I thought that was really too painful and it remained painful for a long time until the inflammation wore off.

 

[Felicia]

I had two cortisone shots, one in each hand for trigger finger and they hurt... a lot. It felt like the needle was wedging itself into the bone, very painful in the hand.

 

[RSoxFan]

I had a cortisone shot for plantar fasciitis on Friday. Honestly, it didn't hurt nearly as bad as I expected. The doc kept apologizing before hand, saying "The foot is the worst place to put it." He numbed it with lidocaine, and shot me really quick. It only took a couple of seconds. It burned when he put the cortisone in, but it was over before I knew it. The spot where he put the needle in was tender for a day or two, but my foot feels completely fine now. It is totally worth it!

 

[VioltePrincess]

another plantar fasciitis patient here.

initially the doctor gave me oral medication, an antiinflamatory that didn't help.

next we tried orthotics. and then physical therapy.

and then cortizone shots. that was the first real relief I got. the shots were moderately apinful, and for a day or so I actually felt worse than before I got the shots, but ultimately they cleared things up.

now I use the orthotics and the exercises I learned in PT -- inlcuign the brace I wear when I go to bed at night -- and my foot is fine.

 

[wvjovifan]

I had 3 cortisone injections in my arch years ago and my podiatrist gave me a little novacaine before the cortisone....painless! Last summer I had 3 injections in my shoulder and they weren't too bad. They usually hurt for a while a couple hours after the injection.

 

[GraysMom]

I had plantar fascitis as well, and I have to admit the cortisone shots were pretty painful. I also had the infra-red treatments, the orthotic inserts , the special exercises, and just about any other treatment you can think of. In the end, none of it worked, and I had some experimental surgery (at the time) which I guess is now quite common. They made small incisions on either side of my heels, and used a scalpel to cut the fascia so it wasn't so tight. They actually filmed my surgery as a training video for other doctors. So my feet are quite famous!

It took about 3 months after the surgery for the pain to finally go away, but I have now been pain free for about 13 years, so it was all worth it.

If you do get the shots, keep in mind that you can only have so many before it starts deteriorating bone (or something like that).

Do you happen to know the name of the surgical procedure you had done? I've had pf for about 5 years now (my mom and grandmother both have it too) and have tried exercises and custom made orthotics, but neither have made the pain go away for more than a couple of hours. I actually can only wear sneakers with my orthotics (no bare feet, sandals, etc) for shoes and I wear them most of the day, everyday. If there is a relatively easy way to end this pain, I'd like to try it. Like I said, my mom and grandmother both have, so I don't think it's something that will go away on it's own. Thanks for your help.

 

[Melisa1]

I've had cortisone injections for plantar fasciitis last year, and they weren't that bad. They relieved the pain for a week or so, but the only thing that really helped were inserts that I found out about right here on the DIS! You can get them from HeelThatPain.com - they're wonderful!

I second the inserts from HeelThatPain.com - they are awesome! I too, took the cortisone injections and they were painful and did not work for me. The only thing that has worked is the above inserts and I have been pain free for over 2 years.

 

[cybrkitn]

I had a cortisone shot in my left arm for a calcium build up and yes it did hurt. But then again, I can't take needles in my arm anyway. I don't know what type of shots I had in my foot when I had a pinched nerve, could have been cortisone. At first it hurt even though he used the novacaine spray, but after awhile, it wasn't hurting anymore because the inflamation was going down.

You know, there are places that you can have a needle where it doesn't hurt. I've had a rogam (sp?) shot in the buttocks when I was pregnant with DS and the nurse got it in the right spot that I didn't even feel it. I also had to give myself insulin injections with a pen needle during that time for my gestational diabetes. That's how I found out where to inject so that it didn't hurt.

 

[Spoodleink]

I have had cortisone shots around my elbow and it was very painful but my elbow was already hurt a lot. I also was just expecting to get my PT reupped not an injection in my arm. I did sit down and cry on the elevator after leaving the office and called my mom at work after I tried driving home. It did only hurt for a few hours and really did relieve a lot of the pain in my arm

 

[Lassie Lynne]

My DH has had 3 cortisone injections lately in the foot, one hurt badly, two did not . I think everyone is different, every person giving them is different, and even day to day you might feel pain differently.

The worse shot I ever had was a cortisone injection on my scalp. I had alopecia (this is hair loss at the roots - your roots are still there, but the rest breaks off) and the dermatolgist actually gave me a couple of injection right into the spots.....luckily I have thick hair and the the spots where in such places you could never tell. I would not want to have to go through that again.

Good luck with the treatments .

 

[noodleknitter]

I think they hurt really, really bad, but that afterwards it is well worth it.