Just how painful really are cortisone injections??

[Lachesis00]

I have ha one in my knee. WORST pain EVER, but once it was`over my knee felt better.

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...

 

[Papa Deuce]

I have 3. Yes they hurt, but I imagine it is less than giving birth.

 

[tinkerbell1967]

I get them in my left shoulder. Yes, they do hurt but they have helped me a good bit with the pain. My doctor offers to first numb my shoulder and then inject the cortisone. The last time I told him not to bother numbing it and it really did not make that much of a difference as far as the pain.

 

[Poohnatic]

I have a very high pain threshold, but HATE cortisone injections. It wasn't an option with my plantar faciitis, as I've got vascular disease in that leg.

If you go that route, I recommend that you do not plan on returning to work afterwards-I typically would go home, take an anti inflammatory and go to sleep. Icing the site works very well.

Some things I've done with the PF, since taking oral cortisone ended with an adverse reaction:
1. Icing the foot three to five times a day. I took a water bottle and froze it and then rolled it under the heel for 15 minutes at a time. Currently, I've got a bottle in the freezer at work and at home.

2. I wear crocs-my doctor wrote me a note for these now that it's apparent how much they make a difference. Since the most recent flare started, I wear them any time I'm on my feet.

3. Orthotics do work well-just wish I could fit the foot and the orthotics into a shoe other than the crocs!

4. If you have access to a jacuzzi, putting the sore heel right in front of a jet for about 5 to 10 minutes a couple of times a week is fantastic for massaging the muscles. Alas, I don't have access, but I think that will change.

Too many cortisone shots are bad-(I had a RSI and my ortho told me that it was three, then surgery). I've had infra red for multiple issues and it works very well for most people.

Good luck-PF is NOT fun.

Suzanne

 

[Blondie]

I had a cortisone injection in my knee and the actual injection wasn't that bad. About 3 hours later it hurt like the dickens! It continued to hurt for 2-3 days afterwards too!

The relief from the injection only lasted about a month, now it feels worse than before the injection.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

I've had two in my heal for a heal spur. They worked great. The first time it didn't hurt at all but the second one there was a little sting. Nothing that bad though.

 

[Tim Gunn]

I've had them in every joint imaginable from fingers to wrist to hips to ankles to knees. The ones in my ankles and feet were a piece of cake. The worst by far is the knee. My doctor was amazed that he was able to do the shot straight into the area of knee he did it in without me as much as whincing. He said normal reaction to big male athletes that get shots there (the area was a common sports injury) was to grab him by his tie and question his mother's marital status when he was born.

Before you get the shot, just take a deep breath, let it out, relax as many muscles in your body and tell yourself it wont hurt. You'll be fine

 

[SeaSpray]

Wow thanks everyone for all of the replies and experiences with this. I'm leaning towards trying to avoid a cortisone shot. lol Basically because you can only have so many of them, and also because the relief is often only temporary.

I do have a pretty high pain threshhold, so I think (for now anyway) that I'll tolerate the pain and try the other non-invasive options. Just the thought alone of someone sticking something sharp into my extremely painful heel makes me want to faint. LOL

There's a physical therapy place literally 3 minutes from my house, so I may start there, and then look into having an orthotic made, although maybe I'll try that web site (heelthatpain.com), first.

If I do end up at the point where I feel a shot is my only chance for relief I'll post back on here and let you know what I thought of it. lol

 

[OK!]

I had one that went way down into my shoulder and while picturing what was happening while it was happening skeeved me out a little bit, it wasn't terribly painful. However, I've got what my orthopedist calls a "freakishly high" tolerance for pain, so my opinion on matters like this one probably doesn't help a whole lot.

 

[tink1978]

I had an allergic reaction to some meds last year and had to have one in the backs of my knees. It hurt bad, but my legs stopped hurting and I was able to walk again. It stung for just a little while.