Steroid shots - shoulder

[Pistol]

Gen- I have had my right shoulder done twice (10 years apart) and my elbows done once (3 years ago). Those shots are different for everyone and can be different for each joint. My shoulder never did hurt but was stiff the next day. My elbows were exactly as you describe. Hang in there, tomorrow will be much better. Try some ice to numb it a bit.
BTW- every time I did the shots, it was well worth it!! I haven't had any problems since, but after what I went through with my elbows, I will have to be pretty bad off to do it again. Better than surgery though.

[Osceola]

I wonder if he hit a nerve?That hurts bad and will burn.

[Captrix]

Gen- I have had my right shoulder done twice (10 years apart) and my elbows done once (3 years ago). Those shots are different for everyone and can be different for each joint. My shoulder never did hurt but was stiff the next day. My elbows were exactly as you describe. Hang in there, tomorrow will be much better. Try some ice to numb it a bit.
BTW- every time I did the shots, it was well worth it!! I haven't had any problems since, but after what I went through with my elbows, I will have to be pretty bad off to do it again. Better than surgery though.

Thanks for the info. I hope it is better tomorrow. Right now I'm regreting getting this shot. I'm guessing if there is something wrong (with the shot) there isnt much they can do besides let it wear off.

[Shane]

I had a torn rotator cuff several years ago. Painful stuff. Steroid shots, if they work as intended, just mask the pain without doing anything to heal the damage. You then run the risk of doing more damage if you don't get as much pain feedback telling you to STOP doing stuff that hurts. You really should get with a good doc and do the MRI so he/she can tell if you need surgery or just physical therapy to get the damage healed. I was lucky and just needed physical therapy - exercises to rehab and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.

[fishanhunt]

I had a few cortizone shots in my shoulder before they fixed a torn rotator cuff. It only hurt once for about half a day. I don't know if they hit a nerve or something but I couldn't even stand up straight for a couple of hours. When I went to another orthopedic doctor later, he told me that the shots seldom fix anything, just puts the surgery off for a while. I had a bone spur that was cutting my rotator cuff and by getting shots and waiting 3 years for surgery did a bunch of damage.

[Captrix]

I had a torn rotator cuff several years ago. Painful stuff. Steroid shots, if they work as intended, just mask the pain without doing anything to heal the damage. You then run the risk of doing more damage if you don't get as much pain feedback telling you to STOP doing stuff that hurts. You really should get with a good doc and do the MRI so he/she can tell if you need surgery or just physical therapy to get the damage healed. I was lucky and just needed physical therapy - exercises to rehab and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.

I went to a shoulder specalist, I really liked him but I just can't afford to get the MRI. I think he was trying to help get rid of some of the pain until I can afford an MRI. Even if I do need surgery there is no way I can afford it. I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow and feel 100% and that its just inflamation causing the pain and no tear.

[rubydog]

No but I can tell you about a torn labrum and rotator cuff and how you will know if it is torn.

[TX Doc]

You are having an inflammatory response to the foreign material injected into the shoulder. I tell my patients the injection may flare things up that evening and possibly the next day before the steroid takes effect. The steroids we use are long acting and will take about 24 hours to do anything. That's why the remainder of the shot is numbing medication. I generally use a mixture of lidocaine and marcaine but that is only going to keep it numb for up to about 6 hours. For shoulders you are generally going to get around 6-10cc of numbing medicine plus the steroid injected through a 1.5 inch 21-22 gauge needle. For the shoulder (glenohumeral joint) you can do an anterior or posterior approach and for the AC joint you go right through the point of the shoulder. It should feel better tomorrow. In the meantime try to ice and elevate it. Check with some of the small freestanding MRI places. They will usually do an MRI without contrast for around $500 cash pay and about $600 if you need the contrast. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Shane]

I went to a shoulder specalist, I really liked him but I just can't afford to get the MRI. I think he was trying to help get rid of some of the pain until I can afford an MRI. Even if I do need surgery there is no way I can afford it. I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow and feel 100% and that its just inflamation causing the pain and no tear.

I don't know if this is what you need or not, but the physical therapy they had me do consisted of doing two exercises: cable internal rotations and cable external rotations. I started VERY light, using only 5 pounds. You can get those stretchy rubber band things to start with too, as they'd be even lighter than that. I'd started with 2 sets of 10 and did that 3 days per week (MWF). 2nd week I did 3 sets of 10, and then I started adding a little weight every workout as I could. After about 6 weeks, I was doing 40# and feeling much better.

You might try those, but without knowing the extent of your injury through an MRI it would be hard to know for sure if you should do those. If it hurts, do less weight or fewer reps or just stop. Don't overdo it, as you might make the tears worse.

[MarkS]

shot

Remember with the shot your treating the symptom not fixing the problem. Not trying to put a negative spin on it but about 1996 my mom had got a shot of cortisone in her knee due to tearning up all the ligaments and then started feeling bad. A day or so later see was still feeling very bad and her blood pressure got up very high, we took her to the ER and her blood pressure was at stroke level and by the time it was all said and done she had lost movement of her right thumb. Her right thumb is now just there she can't move it at all. So when she goes back to see her doctor that gave her the cortisone shot the nurse came in checked her vitals then left her file on the counter for the doctor and left the room. In bright red letter on a tab in her file it said ALLERGIC TO CORTISONE!!! The doctor or nurse never said anything to her about it and to this day she still has no use of her right thumb. Bad thing is the cortisone shot stays in your system for 6 MONTHS!! Not trying to scare you but keep a close eye on how you feel and if you need go to the ER and get checked out. My mom got lucky she just lost her thumb and not her LIFE! The medical staff never acknowledged any part of it as being due to the shot probably for fear of being sued I assume. Just be careful and pay attention to how you feel. Will say a prayer for you.

[Smart]

Dang Gen...with all your ailments we are going to have to put you in the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman govt rebuilding program...

[Burnadell]

You are having an inflammatory response to the foreign material injected into the shoulder. I tell my patients the injection may flare things up that evening and possibly the next day before the steroid takes effect. The steroids we use are long acting and will take about 24 hours to do anything. That's why the remainder of the shot is numbing medication. I generally use a mixture of lidocaine and marcaine but that is only going to keep it numb for up to about 6 hours. For shoulders you are generally going to get around 6-10cc of numbing medicine plus the steroid injected through a 1.5 inch 21-22 gauge needle. For the shoulder (glenohumeral joint) you can do an anterior or posterior approach and for the AC joint you go right through the point of the shoulder. It should feel better tomorrow. In the meantime try to ice and elevate it. Check with some of the small freestanding MRI places. They will usually do an MRI without contrast for around $500 cash pay and about $600 if you need the contrast. Let me know if you have any questions.

Great info right there!

What other website could one go to and get a variety of advice from plumbing to auto repair to real estate to love life to medical advice. Is this a great site or what? Seriously!

[Captrix]

Dang Gen...with all your ailments we are going to have to put you in the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman govt rebuilding program...

I'm accident prone. I can't help it.

January has really sucked bad. So far this month I've burried my grandpa, and my dog (1 week apart), badly bruised some ribs when I slipped and fell onto the side of the bathtub, messed up my ankle when I stepped off the walk way wrong, fell off my truck bumper on monday and caught my arm on the tailgate and my back/butt on the bumper and hitch and now this. It really hurts to be me sometimes and I probably shouldnt leave the house without wearing a bubble wrap suit and a helmet

FYI don't stand on a wet bumper cussing and pulling on a stuck ratchet strap. I was trying to get some slack and got more than I asked for. luckily I fell sideways and not backwards.

[Captrix]

You are having an inflammatory response to the foreign material injected into the shoulder. I tell my patients the injection may flare things up that evening and possibly the next day before the steroid takes effect. The steroids we use are long acting and will take about 24 hours to do anything. That's why the remainder of the shot is numbing medication. I generally use a mixture of lidocaine and marcaine but that is only going to keep it numb for up to about 6 hours. For shoulders you are generally going to get around 6-10cc of numbing medicine plus the steroid injected through a 1.5 inch 21-22 gauge needle. For the shoulder (glenohumeral joint) you can do an anterior or posterior approach and for the AC joint you go right through the point of the shoulder. It should feel better tomorrow. In the meantime try to ice and elevate it. Check with some of the small freestanding MRI places. They will usually do an MRI without contrast for around $500 cash pay and about $600 if you need the contrast. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for the info Doc! I didnt feel any numbing after the shot! he did mention something about it being in there. I just hope it feels better in the morning. I've never had a problem with steroids before but I did just get one for allergies (cedar fever makes my eyes swell up) last week. I did tell him and he said it wouldnt be a big deal. I've never had the burning this long after the shot and it has me a little worried. I'll stick an ice pack on it. I have insurance but I have to meet my deductable. The insurance company doesnt make any money off of me

[Smart]

I'm accident prone. I can't help it.

January has really sucked bad. So far this month I've burried my grandpa, and my dog (1 week apart), badly bruised some ribs when I slipped and fell onto the side of the bathtub, messed up my ankle when I stepped off the walk way wrong, fell off my truck bumper on monday and caught my arm on the tailgate and my back/butt on the bumper and hitch and now this. It really hurts to be me sometimes and I probably shouldnt leave the house without wearing a bubble wrap suit and a helmet

FYI don't stand on a wet bumper cussing and pulling on a stuck ratchet strap. I was trying to get some slack and got more than I asked for. luckily I fell sideways and not backwards.

Holy cow!! .....come on February!

Your dog ?..was this Hank your new lab?