Key Takeaways
- Steroid shots often work quickly, but sometimes pain relief can take days or weeks.
- Relief might be faster if the shot includes a numbing medicine or if fluid is drained from a joint.
- Some people might need multiple doses for relief if inflammation is severe or chronic. Talk with your healthcare provider about treatment.
Injections with steroids such as cortisone usually provide quick results, easing pain, swelling, and inflammation shortly after being administered. However, in some instances, it can take days or weeks for a person to feel relief.
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Understanding How Steroid Shots Work
Steroid shots help by reducing inflammation. In cases of conditions like tendonitis, bursitis, and arthritis, pain often results from inflammation. As inflammation decreases, pain usually gets better
Steroid shots start working immediately, but it typically takes a few days for inflammation to improve. Pain relief may vary from a few days to a few weeks, depending on how long the inflammation takes to subside. Most people report quick improvement in their pain.
Relief time can be influenced by the level of inflammation, the type of injection, and other factors.
If your inflammation is severe, or if it’s been around a long time (chronic), the shot may take longer to work. In some cases, you may need more than one dose to feel better.
Treatments like cortisone shots are effective for many common inflammatory conditions, but they don’t help every person.
If you don’t experience relief after a few weeks, contact your healthcare provider. They can discuss other treatment options with you.
Click Play to Learn What to Do If a Cortisone Shot Doesn’t Work
What to Expect With a Steroid Injection
Steroids vary in strength, duration, and delivery method.
A steroid can be taken by mouth as an oral medication. It can also be injected into a muscle or joint. For bone and joint conditions, steroid shots are given in the spots where there’s inflammation.
Cortisone is typically combined with a numbing medication called a local anesthetic. This anesthetic helps relieve pain and makes the injection more comfortable.
Your healthcare provider will clean the skin over the injection area before administering the medication, often in a joint or tendon sheath. They will ensure the needle is in the right place by checking for the correct tension.
After the injection, the needle is taken out and a Band-Aid is placed over the site. You might have a little bit of bleeding. If you’re taking a blood thinning medication, you may have a little more bleeding at the injection site.
Why Some Steroid Shots Work Quickly
Steroids generally take a few days or more to start working. However, many people report almost immediate relief after receiving an injection.
Faster pain relief for some can occur for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is that the provider may mix an anesthetic medication (such as lidocaine or marcaine) with the steroid.
Another reason some feel better faster is that in some cases, the provider also removes fluid from a swollen joint. For example, fluid is often drained from a swollen knee before administering a steroid shot, which can offer significant relief.
The other reason why some people feel better faster is that sometimes, a provider also removes fluid from a swollen joint. For example, many patients with a swollen knee have the fluid drained from the joint just before they get a steroid shot. This can bring a lot of pain relief.
When to Call Your Provider
If you’re not feeling better or are feeling worse after a steroid shot, check with your provider. In some cases, this is temporary. However, it’s also possible that the treatment isn’t the right fit for you. Your provider can assess and figure out what the next steps in your treatment plan should be.
What Are Possible Side Effects?
Some people experience reactions to steroid injections. Cortisone can cause a “cortisone flare,” where the cortisone forms crystals, leading to brief but intense pain. This discomfort usually lasts a day or two and can be eased by icing and resting the area.
Other side effects of cortisone shots are possible but uncommon. These include:
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