Cortisone, a type of steroid released by the adrenal gland when the body is under stress. It can be synthetically produce in which it can then be used as an anti-inflammatory drug that is injected into the area of inflammation instead of being injected into the bloodstream. Injecting synthetic cortisone does not treat the pain, only the inflammation, which would mean that the pain decreases because the inflammation is gone. Very high concentration of this medicine can be injected at the area while keeping side effects to a minimum. The most common side effect is "cortisone flare" where the cortisone crystallizes and causes some pain for a day or two. No allergic responses occur since its a natural occurring product. Some common conditions that cortisone is used to treat are shoulder bursitis and tennis elbow. Although injection can hurt a little, it is very effective short term.
What do you guys think about the use of cortisone.
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/paindrugs/a/cortisone.htm
This is probably not a significant concern for things like cortisone shots, but how much is needed to induce something like Cushing's syndrome? Glucocorticoids are usually given in more chronic or widespread inflammatory processes like rheumatoid arthritis or even some cancers. I still think that one with a chronic osteoarthritic condition receiving these injections could have some negative pleiotropic effects over a period of time.
ReplyDeleteyou're right, because even it being for chronic illnesses, this treatment works best short term, but if the inflammation doesn't subside then more shots are needed but studies have shown that prolonged use does have negative effects. and Cushings can arise from prolonged use of cortisone (which are usually given in low doses) so as far as how many shots it would take i think were probably talking about a few years worth
ReplyDeleteCortisone shots can be very effective at relieving pain and inflammation short term but they don't come without side effect. I know you said that the only real side effect is "cortisone flare," but while researching it I found that there are quite a few more risks to getting these injections. A lot of people get nausea, headaches and sleepiness which are minor and short term side effects. Some long term complications include Death of nearby bone, joint infection, nerve damage, tendon weakening or rupture, thinning of nearby bone and skin and soft tissue thinning around injection site. These risks are less common so they are often overlooked by doctors but they should be considered. Also most people can only have a few shots because they can cause deterioration of cartilage within the joint.
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