How Long Do Cortisone Shots Last?

Cortisone shots or steroid injections are frequently given to treat joint pain. While corticosteroid injections can provide immediate pain relief, their effects are temporary. Also, there’s a limit on how many cortisone shots you can get. Please continue reading to learn more.

What are cortisone shots?

Cortisone is a hormone made by the adrenal glands in the body. Cortisone shots contain a mix of corticosteroid medication and local anesthetic. These injections help ease pain and swelling in various parts of the body.

Steroid injections are typically used to treat chronic pain associated with conditions such as arthritis and autoimmune disorders. You can receive a steroid injection in your shoulders, spine, hands, hips, knees, or feet to treat shoulder pain, neck pain, hip pain, etc.

A steroid shot places the steroid medicine directly in the joint to relieve pain. However, the injection provides only temporary pain relief.

Examples of cortisone injections include triamcinolone (Kenalog), methylprednisolone (Depo-Medrol), and betamethasone (Celestone).

What conditions can benefit from cortisone injections?

Cortisone shots are very effective in treating inflammatory arthritis and relieving pain associated with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, and gout.

How quickly do cortisone shots work?

A cortisone shot usually takes 4-5 days to start working and relieve arthritis pain. Doctors advise that you take steroid injections at least a week before any event to give them time to work.

You should also know that a steroid injection can cause a temporary flare in pain symptoms for a few days. It is important to get plenty of rest in the days following your cortisone shots to prevent the flare from worsening.

How long does a cortisone injection last?

A cortisone injection relieves pain for anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. There is no way to predict how long the positive effects of a steroid shot will last. Pain relief from cortisone shots is different for different people.

While cortisone reduces inflammation and can provide immediate pain relief, this effect is temporary. Also, a cortisone injection does not cure or stop the progress of the underlying disease.

With that said, steroid injections can provide much-needed pain relief to arthritis patients and allow them to participate more actively in physical therapy, which can have long-term benefits.

How many steroid injections can I get?

In general, doctors do not give cortisone injections more frequently than once every 6 weeks and no more than 3-4 times a year. You can, however, have multiple steroid shots in different parts of your body.

There is a limit on the number of steroid shots you can get. While corticosteroid medication can reduce inflammation, it can also cause joint damage. Therefore, repeated cortisone shots in one area are not recommended. Also, repeated injections put you at increased risk of infection.

What are the side effects of a cortisone shot?

Side effects of cortisone shots are more likely to occur with higher doses and repeated cortisone shots. Possible adverse effects and risks of cortisone shots include:

Joint cartilage damage
Osteonecrosis (death of surrounding bone)
Weakening or rupture of a tendon
Nerve damage
Joint infection
Temporary flare of pain and swelling in the joint
Temporary facial flushing
Temporary increase in blood sugar
Osteoporosis (thinning of bones)
Thinning of skin near the injection site
Lightening or whitening of skin near the injection site

Why does joint pain get worse after a cortisone shot?

It is quite common to experience a temporary flare in pain and inflammation in the affected joint after a cortisone injection. This reaction is an expected side effect. The cortisone flare typically starts 6 hours after the cortisone shot and lasts for 1-5 days.

It helps to rest and limit activity until the joint pain settles down after a cortisone shot. You can continue doing any exercises that don’t make your arthritis pain worse. Taking ibuprofen and icing the area can also help. However, you should not use heating pads in the area.

Do I need to take any precautions after a cortisone shot?

If you have diabetes, check your blood glucose levels (cortisone shots can temporarily increase blood sugar levels).

Avoid heavy exercise involving the same area. For example, if you received a steroid injection in your ankle, try to stay off your feet as much as you can for a few days.

Do not get into a bathtub, hot tub, or whirlpool for 48 hours. You can shower, however.

Contact your healthcare provider if you notice any signs and symptoms of infection at the injection site, such as increasing pain, swelling, and redness.

What does it mean if corticosteroid shots don’t work?

If the first local anesthetic and cortisone injection do not work, your healthcare provider may offer you another 6-8 weeks later. If the second cortisone injection also does not provide relief from severe pain and swelling, it is unlikely that corticosteroid injections will benefit you.

Failure to respond to a cortisone shot can happen for various reasons. It’s important that your condition has been diagnosed and treated correctly. The cortisone injection needs to be placed at the correct location to have an effect (doctors sometimes use ultrasound guidance to ensure proper needle placement). Lastly, it’s important to participate in physical therapy and rehabilitation after cortisone shots to get the full benefit of this treatment.

If you have not benefited from cortisone injections, obtain professional medical advice from a specialist and develop an alternative treatment plan. There are other treatments available to treat inflammation. Lifestyle modifications like losing weight can sometimes help improve symptoms of chronic conditions like arthritis. However, if you have advanced arthritis, you may need to take oral steroids or undergo joint replacement surgery. Your healthcare provider will discuss all the treatment options and work with you to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

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