What Are the Benefits of Taking Cortisone Shots?

Cortisone shots or corticosteroids are injections given to joints of the body to reduce pain and inflammation. The shots are called cortisone shots, but they may actually contain a combination of medications depending on where the shots are being administered. Cortisone is a substance naturally created in the kidney. Whenever you are adding a large amount of a naturally occurring substance to the body, exercise extreme caution and do so only when recommended by your doctor.

Reduce Pain and Inflammation

• The main benefit of cortisone shots is the reduction of the pain and inflammation in or near a particular joint. The pain is quickly reduced by the local anesthetic typically included in the shot, and the inflammation is suppressed by the corticosteroid medicine. Cortisone can dissolve scar tissue and reduce the size of an irritated or inflamed joint. You may not be able to feel the difference for a few days, as the shot itself causes a bit of temporary swelling at the point of injection.

Improved Mobility

• By reducing the swelling in and around your joint, cortisone shots will allow you to improve the mobility of the joint. Without as much scar tissue in the way, your joint can start to move nearly as much as it did before the scar tissue was formed. Scar tissue can grow back, however, and alternate medications and therapy may be needed to ensure that your increased flexibility of the joint continues.

Opportunity for Strengthening

• Another reason to use cortisone shots is to give you a chance to strengthen nearby muscles. If a joint hurts so much that you can hardly move it, it will make it impossible for you to strengthen the complementary muscles through exercise. Only when the mobility of your joints improves will you be able to add strength to the supporting muscles. For example, when your shoulder becomes more flexible, you can begin to work on the strength of your supporting rotator cuff.

Short Recovery Period

• While it may take you weeks or months to recover from some methods of pain reduction--such as surgery--a cortisone shot may only take a few days of recovery. Some doctors say you can return to activity within a day or two, while others recommend that you avoid heavy lifting with the joint in question for two weeks. Keep in mind though, while there is a short recovery period, the effects of a cortisone shot may not last for the long term either.

Multiple Conditions

• There are many diseases and conditions that cortisone shots can be used for during the course of treatment. These conditions include baker's cyst, bursitis, gout, lupus, osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, sarcoidosis and tennis elbow.