Cortizone Injections are Often Used to Treat Joint Pain Following an Accident. However, Cortizone Injections Have Benefits and Potential Dangers. Please Read this Article Before Talking to Your Doctor About Receiving Injections to Your Knees, Elbows, or Shoulder.
Many people get cortisone injections in order to help them with their shoulder, knee, and other joint injuries after an accidents. In fact, cortisone has been proven to relieve pain and inflammation in the injury site for most joint pain and is a proven, conservative method to treat pain and inflammation short of surgery. For example, people with knee problems frequently request that their doctors prescribe cortisone injections in order to alleviate problems stemming from their knee sprains from a slip and fall injury and shoulder joint impingements. And doctors have been regularly prescribing cortizone injections to their patients for years.
However, recent studies have shown that repeated cortisone injections can cause damage to your tissues over time. One cause of this is over treating the injury site with cortisone. Sometimes, a patient does not get better after one injection, or even a series of three injections which is a typical prescription, so the patient will request additional injections. Therefore, some doctors have restricted their patients to three injections a year, or even three injections in their lifetime.
Too many cortisone injections can cause what is called a “cortisone flare.” A cortisone flare is a painful reaction that the body has after a cortisone shot, and it can last up to two days and you could experience pain that was far worse than the original injury. It could also weaken your tendons, discolor your skin, and could increase your blood sugar levels, which is especially important for diabetic patients. Long tern use of cortisone can also cause osteoporosis, hypertension, cataracts, nerve damage, joint infection, and death of the nearby bone (osteonecrosis) among others negative medical conditions.
So should you seek (or continue) cortisone treatment after your personal injury? It is best to talk to your doctor about this. If you have been using cortisone injections to treat your joing pain and discomfort and suffering the side effects, your doctor will probably not administer a cortizone shot again. Also, if previous attempts of cortisone have not help your pain or inflammation, chances are that your doctor will probably not give you the cortisone shot again. Some people are more likely to suffer the side effects of cortisone injections than others, so your doctor will determine if the drug is right for you by looking at your medical history. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, chances are that you may have to find other medical treatment to manage your joint pain.
This was a brief overview of cortisone shots and their benefits and risks. Be sure to talk to your doctor about the potential side effects of the drug before you use it as a treatment. The San Diego personal injury attorneys at the Jurewitz Law Group are especially concerned about neck, back, knee, and shoulder injuries that people suffer following an injury accident. If you are ever injured in an accident through no fault of your own, please contact our California personal injury law office at 888-233-5020 for a free consultation.
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