What Are Joint or Tendon Steroid Injections?

A steroid injection, commonly referred to as a corticosteroid injection or cortisone shot is a minimally invasive procedure performed to provide pain relief from a range of conditions such as arthritis, sciatica, tendon inflammation, and more. Steroids are used to reduce inflammation. Steroids can be injected directly into a joint, into inflamed bursae, or around inflamed tendons. The main purpose is to ease inflammation and ultimately provide short-term pain relief. Unfortunately, steroid injections are not a cure for a problem. However, they are highly successful in providing the patient relief from discomfort for several weeks or more. If deemed successful, joint or tendon steroid injections may be repeated in conjunction with physical therapy. Joint or tendon steroid injections are popular due to their non-surgical nature, low risk, and success rate for pain relief.

What to Expect From a Joint or Tendon Injection Procedure:

Joint or tendon steroid injections are usually done in the physician’s office, and the procedure itself takes less than a minute. The patient will remain awake and aware during the injection. However, a local anesthetic is administered to numb the injection site. Once the needle is in the correct position, the steroid medication and anesthetic is injected, and the needle is removed. There is little to no downtime following a steroid injection into a joint or tendon. Patients can get up and move immediately following the injection and can most often return to full activity the next day.

Pain relief is not immediate, but should be noticed within two to seven days after the joint or tendon steroid injection. It could last for several months, during which the patient can participate in physical therapy. If the patient feels the steroid injection was beneficial, they can perform repeat injections. If not, other treatment options should be discussed.