Cortico-steroid and Local Anaesthetic Injections
Following your appointment, it has been agreed that a cortico-steroid injection could help your condition by reducing pain and swelling in a joint or the surrounding soft tissue.
Will it be painful?
There may be some pain but this usually wears off within a couple of hours. Often a local anaesthetic will be injected at the same time as the cortico-steroid. Very occasionally, patients may experience a flare up of their pain within the first 24 to 48 hours after the injection.
Are there any side effects?
Side effects can include:
- Thinning of the skin at the injection site.
- Some loss of skin colour at the injection site.
- A dimple at the injection site, this can be quite large.
- An alteration in sugar levels in people with diabetes. You must discuss with your clinician if you are diabetic.
- Facial flushing (redness of the cheeks) this will pass without treatment, usually within 48 hours.
- Rarely an infection can occur. If you experience pain at the injection site that does not improve, if the area feels hot and swollen, or you develop a fever, consult your GP immediately or visit A&E if a GP is not available.
- Rarely a tendon rupture may occur. To minimise this small risk, it is important to follow the advice of your clinician and rest.
- Rarely nerve damage can occur if injecting near a nerve e.g. carpal tunnel.
- Rarely an allergic reaction to the injection can occur – you may be monitored for up to half an hour after the injection.
- Rarely patients may experience some temporary menstrual disturbance. If this persists, seek your GP’s advice.
Do I need to do anything after the injection?
You should rest for three to seven days after the cortico-steroid injection, follow the advice of your clinician. You should try to keep moving, so long as this is not too painful. Do not carry out heavy work. You will be given advice on resuming your normal activities and what you can do to help prevent recurrence of this problem. If you are given home exercises to do, it is important that you follow these instructions to get the most benefit from your treatment.
You should inform any other health care professional you see within the next 12 months that you have had an injection of cortico-steroid
Your clinician will discuss follow-up arrangements. The minimum interval between injections is six weeks. The expectation is that the cortico-steroid injection will help your condition. Your clinician will discuss whether further injections may be needed during this course of treatment. Your GP/physiotherapist will be able to refer you back if you need further treatment.