Term
Cortisone Injections
The most commonly used joint injection — a synthetic anti-inflammatory delivered locally to break an inflammatory cycle and give you a window to do your rehab.
Cortisone is a synthetic corticosteroid — a strong anti-inflammatory delivered directly to the site of pathology, often mixed with a local anesthetic for immediate pain relief. Dr. Liam Vu, sports medicine physician at Samaritan Athletic Medicine and team doctor for the Oregon State athletic department, explained the clinical reasoning on PTCH: cortisone makes most sense when pain is limiting your ability to participate in rehab.
The typical benefit window: a bell curve. Most patients get 2 to 3 months of relief. Some get weeks, some get months to years. The goal is to use that window productively — to strengthen the muscles and stabilize the joint so you don’t need the next step (which, as Kathy regularly points out, is someone who cuts people open).
The limitation: in vitro and animal research suggests repeated cortisone injections may have tissue-degrading effects. There are no consensus guidelines on how many is too many, but “get an injection and then stop moving” is not the point. Kathy’s summary: “You still have to do your exercises.”
Jason’s paraphrase: “You get adjusted so you can rehab. Same concept.”
First seen in A Sports Medicine Doctor Explains Cortisone, PRP & Stem Cell Injections.