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Cortisone injection in my knee

Posted , 31 users are following.

marie1121
marie1121

Hi,

I posted here a couple of days ago about a recurring knee problem after 2 athroscopies for cartillage problems. I have been having physio but its made my knee worse than before. I went back to the doctors today and he's offered a cortisone injection and I have agreed but now I am panicking. I have only ever had one cortisone injection before in my hand and was in agony for about 24 hours after. Has anyone had cortisone in the knee and can they let me know what to expect? Thanks :-)

3 likes, 101 replies

101 Replies

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  • EileenH
    EileenH marie1121

    Posted

    I had a cortisone injection in my knee 30 years ago which was fine and achieved a good result. The injection itself was fine, no pain at all since it is accompanied by local anaesthetic. The local anaesthetic wears off after a few hours and there may be pain then for a while but ordinary pain killers dealt with that for me with no problem. By the next day the pain was gone and the recovery from the knee injury was uneventful.

    I have had 4 (2 pairs) cortisone injections into my hips (not into the joint) to deal with trochanteric bursitis. They didn't hurt at all apart from the fairly inevitable pain of an injection with a long needle! One pair were given in July and the relief was excellent after a couple of days, there was some return of pain and a second pair of injections in early October finished the job off - no problems for the last 2 years.

    It all depends - they are said to work well in 30-50% of cases. The result is supposed to be better in joints if it is done with imaging so they see where the injection lands up. Either way - I would have a go to see if it works well. If it doesn't you haven't really lost a lot. But the post-injection pain can be controlled well so make sure you know what is best use - ASK!!!!

    • marie1121
      marie1121 EileenH

      Posted

      thank you, he gave me some zappain so I may take them after the injection if it starts to ache, I dont know about the imaging thing, its the doc who is doing it and he seemed to think he could shove the needle in anywhere around my knee and it would be fine! I am hoping he will know what he's doing before he starts, but he did tell me he wasn't allowed to do wrists because of previous problems he's had!
    • jean95756
      jean95756 marie1121

      Posted

      My own GP dId mine and they did work for quite a long time until my knee got so bad that a TKR was the only option 
  • tracy32225
    tracy32225 marie1121

    Posted

    Hi Marie,

    i agree this can be daunting, never had one in my knee just had a knee replacement but have had one in the hip and shoulder, they are painful for 24 ha or so but I did gt great relief from them.

    • marie1121
      marie1121 tracy32225

      Posted

      thanks tracy, the doc said it shouldn't hurt at all, but I guess I will only know for sure after I have had it done, thanks for your help :-)
  • margaret83646
    margaret83646 marie1121

    Posted

    Hi Marie I have had about 4 or 5 cortisone injections and didn't have any problem with them.

    The only complaint I had was they didn't seem to make a difference to the pain, but I know others who would swear by them.

  • gillme1955_UK
    gillme1955_UK marie1121

    Posted

    Hi Marie. I've been having regular cortisone injections in both knees for a number of years and certainly every three months for the last two years. Both knees need replacing but as I'm 59 the surgeon says it would be better for me to wait. My main problem is the knee caps but the whole joint is worn. My GP does the injections which the surgeon says are ok at thus frequency as long as they are working. They do, but only for about two weeks the last few I have had. They are not really painful and it's lovely to be pain free for a while. My GP's instructors are to do nothing for 48 hours after the injection and to take it easy for two weeks. I am lucky and live in a flat with a lift so I am able to avoid the stairs. 

    I am am seeing my surgeon again in March to discuss my knees.

    kind regards, And all the best for 2015'

    Gill 

    • marie1121
      marie1121 gillme1955_UK

      Posted

      Hi Gill, 

      I will be struggling to do nothing for 48 hours as I have a young child to look after and I am on my own. The doc never said anything to me about that but he knows about my son. The consultant said my knee will needs replacing but as I am 43 I think I am some way off yet. I don't have stairs where I live either, I moved here because of that. Good luck with your surgeon, I hope he helps you out. From what others have said on here it seems you have to be quite firm with them to get help. All the best to you too for 2015, lets hope its a good one :-)

    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 marie1121

      Posted

      Marie....my heart goes out to you and your situation. Before you ever consider having tkr you need to try and resolve some of your other issues well in advance. Not to appear negative but I don't see any way you can take care of a young child and have a successful recovery. Not only is the physical issues but you have so many unforseen psychological issues that are even more draining than than technical side. I have no idea what your social system can open up for you but these should be explored. Another possibility, is there a possibility of having the procedure done closer to family or friends so you can receive help. Best wishes to you and hope you can find solution to your entire situation
    • marie1121
      marie1121 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      aww thanks that's really sweet of you. I haven't got much in the way of family, got lots of friends but I don't like to put on people. The consultant said I wouldn't be eligible for tkr for a while yet but I think his budget has more of a bearing on this than my knee situation. I want to put it off for as long as possible anyway. My aunt had it done 2 years ago and has been in total agony since so I know its not such a wonderful solution anyway! Thanks for your help :-)
    • EileenH
      EileenH marie1121

      Posted

      Not a TKR expert but I think the desire to delay a TKR is because the joints don't last forever and if used a lot they believed they would wear out quicker so requiring a second one. The younger you are, the more active you are likely to expect to be as well as needing a joint for much longer - though recent studies have shown that young TKR patients who go back to running actually do not do any worse for wear on their joint than others who do not run or do other high impact sports. In the case of hip replacements most surgeons like to do the op before the patient becomes immobile as young fit patients are able to recover faster and better. Knees are more complicated though. 
    • marie1121
      marie1121 EileenH

      Posted

      thanks Eileen, I used to do a lot of running and was very fit but I did too much and carried on running even after I was advised to stop. I wouldn't want to go through all this again so I doubt I would start running again even if I was told it would be ok. Its interesting to hear that though, I suppose they only really find out through people having the ops and getting the feedback from them, thanks :-)
    • EileenH
      EileenH marie1121

      Posted

      Funny really isn't it - they keep telling us how healthy running is for us but don't often mention the downsides. I have never liked running - not even for the bus! Like skiing - great way of getting to places up mountains I wouldn't get otherwise. Round here running up and down mountains is also very popular - but definitely not my cup of tea!
    • marie1121
      marie1121 EileenH

      Posted

      My days of running either for a bus or up a mountain have long since passed, thanks goodness! thanks Eileen :-)
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