I have had two of them in my left foot. At first I didn't know it would hurt so bad! The pain the next day was unbelievable. But I called the Dr---they said walking was the best thing to do. So a friend and I went to the mountain and walked the whole day. It helped so much.

The second time I just got up every hour all night long and took my dog on a 20 minute walk. It was a hard night but it didn't get so painful and helped with pain in a major way.

I have had back problems for years and have had the shots. They do not hurt and they do help. Everybody is different on if it works for them and for how long. You will just have to give it a try and see what it does for you.

I had a cortisone shot in my foot for pain in my heel. Podiatrist said could be possible heel spur but could not find it on x-ray and recommended the shot. I had a child at home with a midwife (no meds). I would rather have the child than the shot. Actually the DS I had at home was in the room with me when I had the shot and I remember him telling Dr to stop as I passed out from the pain. Get a second opinion there may be a better (holistic?) alternative.

If this shot is in your spine run away as fast as you can. This will cause a side effect called Adhesive Arachnoiditis. It is the worst thing in the world. It will make your issue worse. If it is in the soft tissue you shoud be fine. DO NOT LET THEM PUT ANY TYPE OF MEDICATION INTO YOUR SPINE. The doctors do not tell you about this side effect. I have proof that the epidural steriod injections caused this. Sorry this is a sore spot with me. I sure hope you feel better soon. I also have arthritis in my spine its the size of the tip of a pen it can cause all sorts of discomfort. If you have any questions please PM me I would be happy to answer any question for you!

My mother has had cortisone shots in her knees, shoulders, and low back. A couple of the lower back shots were called epidurial (sp?) cortisone shots. The shots helped for a while. She eventually had to have surgery. Now she has two metal rods, 3 metal cages and lots of screws in her back. Seems to run in her family. It's called Degenerative Joint Disease. Which I think is mostly Arthritis.

I have had cortisone shots in my hip but not my back.

There are many many different types of cortisone shots EVEN in the spine. Success is dependent on finding the EXACT thing that is causing the pain and getting the most appropriate shot. That's why sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

I deal with this professionally every day. The key is finding a specialist that is good at selecting the correct shot and the best patient.

There are epidurals which can be done several different ways, facet joint injections, nerve blocking injections. So it all depends on whether it is the nerve itself that is the problem, the joint itself or the disc. While an MRI is helpful, many, many people have
terrible MRI findings for disc problems and no pain and many, many people have minimal MRI findings and pain.

Yes arachnoiditis is a potential side effect, as are several other problems. The specialists that I deal with go over all of the potential problems in detail. There are pain management "mills" out there and you should avoid them. There are five pain management specialist in my area and I only refer to two of them.

Cortisone injections are a tool like any other with pros and cons. It depends on how much pain you are in, medications that have not worked, and how much the pain is changing your lifestyle.

All I have to say is do your research doctors do not tell you all the side effects.

I have have had osteoarthritis for many years. After seeing a chiropractor, physical therapist, acupunturist, and a myofascial therapist, I finally relented and saw a pain management specialist. I found a wonderful, caring, and CAREFUL doctor who gave me a total of 9 injections (throughout a long period of time). He gave me the medication "versed" each time, which helped relax me and I didn't "remember" the pain (yet I was fully awake) and I was closely monitored during the procedures, which were done in a same-day surgery center. The injections did help for a period of time. But after quite a few, we decided I needed to have fusion of the L4-L5-S1. That was almost two years ago, and you would never know I've ever had a problem. Bottom line is, that I found the injections a necessary step to see if my chronic pain could be controlled that way or if I needed to do something further. I understand that, for some people, the injections are very successful for even up to a year or more. Good luck on your journey with this, and I truly hope you find someone who is truly after your best interest.