Cortisone Shots
 

I have hip bursitis or so the doctor tells me for seven months. Still very painful especially in the morning. My doctor has taken a cautious approach as I first took Naproxen for two months until the cortisone shot. Both methods have given me some lessening of discomfort but still painful and I'm tired of being in pain. I finally got a cortisone shot last month, 12/30/10, and it didn't cure the problem. He said if it is still there in about a month or so I should come back for a second shot.

I will be calling tomorrow to get my appointment bumped up, (I hope I can), as the office staff gave me an appointment for February 15, but the pain is horrible especially in the morning.

What has been everyone experience with cortisone shots. Do they only solve the problem temporarily?

Is it on the outside of the hip? If it is, I didn't have any relief from cortisone shots. Finally, had the bursae removed. No pain ever since.

I have had several cortisone shots in my shoulder before finally having surgery some worked while others didn't. When they did work they worked very well and relieved the pain significantly. The recovery from shoulder surgery sucked it was plenty painful.

Hip Shots
 

I had two shots and went through pain management and then an MRI on my back. The back was and still is the problem.

Cotisone for the most part is only temporary relief and you can only have so many cortisone shots a year. The shot reacts different ways for different people. For some the relief will be fast and last a couple of months or longer, while for others they only receive minimal relief and back to where they started in a month or so.

One cannot and should not rely on a steady stream of cortisone shots to take care of their problems.

LisaJ:

It started there at is seems lodged morso in the butt at the present time.

My PCP seemed to think it was temporary busitis but I am wondering if he is right in that it has been seven months. He also claimed that the symptons were very similar to sciatic nerve problem, (a long story), as the pain started in the hip and radiates down the entire leg sometimes into the foot.

Was it major surgery to have the bursa removed?

As I move around during the day, it seems to be relatively mild pain or at least tolerable unless I make certain movements that remind me.

I hope the next shot makes it go away and stay away.

2BNTV - Cortisone is a medication that reduces inflammation. If the cause of the inflammation is temporary, then cortisone may be enough to eliminate the discomfort. But, if the cause is persistent or chronic, then cortisone will provide temporary relief only. Ultimately, the cause of the inflammation needs to be addressed for complete relief.

mikeod:

Your post makes good sense. I will have to see how this plays out.

Seven months is a long time to be a temporary condition so it causes me concern.

I hope the next shot is heard around the hip!!!!!!!

Thank you for your input.

2BNTV- No the surgery was outpatient (in and out within a3 hours) and I was on crutches for 24 hours. Staples were removed in a week. My bursitis was on the outside of the hip and the pain radiated down to my knee. It was incredibly painful if I rolled over on it while sleeping. If the next cortisone shot doesn't do the trick I would definitely see a orthopedic surgeon. A friend of mine had the same problem and had their bursae removed (that is how I learned about a bursaectomy). Is your bursitis from an injury? Mine was caused from a car accident (the seat belt connects right over the bursae). If you would like any other information please pm me. Don't want to bore everyone else with the details.

Thank you for the offer to PM you. I think it was caused by lifting too much weight on a leg press machine. I was too lazy to take off the extra weight or I got confused and thought I was Superman. I wish I had that day back to do over again. I didn't start right away, (probably two weeks later), but I thought I felt something.

I will keep your offer in mind if the next cortisone shot doesn't work as my PCP is not a bubbling fountain of guiding type information as to whats next or what I should do to rectify this painful episode in terms of exercise, wet heat packs, etc.

Good PCP but I call him Mr. Warmth, (scarcasm intended), in terms of bedside manner. I guess I haven't done a good job of explaining the urgency to have this over as my PCP is not in pain. :)

cortizone shots
 

I have the sciatic nerve problem along with a herniated disc. I'm getting my second set of shots this week Dr. said it could take 3 sets to help. Pain goes down butt cheek to back of thigh then goes to the right side of knee down to the foot which feels like it's broken. Very hard to sit for any length of time walking even worse,shots are in lower back. Had MRI to show all this before I agreed to the shots. So have a MRI to really see what you have I waited for 8 months before I even went to the Dr. Iwished I had fixing it now I hope. S1 and L5. Hope to be a Villager soon still trying its been 2 yrs. :cold::cold:

This was my Problem and PT really helped it
 

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDayNews) -- For years, damaged discs in the lower
back or spinal nerve problems have taken the blame as the most common cause of
sciatica, a painful condition in which the sciatic nerve in the back of the leg
is pinched and pain radiates down the leg.

But a new study suggests the cause of sciatica pain may actually be
piriformis syndrome, a condition in which a muscle in the buttocks called the
piriformis compresses or irritates the sciatic nerve.

The study appears in the February issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery:
Spine.

The findings may help many patients finally get relief from their pain, said
study author Dr. Aaron Filler, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Institute of
Spinal Disorders in Los Angeles. "Doctors often recommend spinal fusion surgery
for spinal problems [associated with sciatica]," he said, "when the real
problem is piriformis syndrome."

In the study, Filler and his colleagues evaluated 239 patients whose
symptoms of sciatica had not improved after diagnosis or treatment for a damaged
disc. They performed the usual X-rays and MRI scans, and found seven of the
patients had torn disc-related conditions that could be treated successfully with
spine surgery.

The other 232 patients underwent MR neurography, a new technique that
generates detailed images of nerves. The researchers report that 69 percent had
piriformis syndrome, while the other 31 percent had some other nerve, joint or
muscle condition.

To treat piriformis syndrome, Filler's team injected a long-acting
anesthetic into the spine, muscle or nerve areas. About 85 percent of the patients got
some relief from the injections, which helps relax muscle spasm. However,
relief was not long-lasting and 62 patients needed surgery to correct the
syndrome. Of those, 82 percent had a good or excellent result during the six-year
follow-up.

The findings may help legions of Americans suffering from sciatica, Filler
said. "More than 1.5 million Americans have experienced sciatica severe enough
to be sent for lumbar MRI scanning each year," Filler said. "About 300,000
lumbar disc surgeries are done each year for sciatica. Of those, about one-third
fail."

In some cases, those surgeries may fail because disc damage is not the
underlying problem, Filler said. Instead, the real culprit could be other
conditions, such as piriformis syndrome.

The nerve scan used in the study is relatively new, Filler said, being first
used in humans in 1993. His group reported on the first groups of patients
who underwent the technique in 1996. "Since 1996, we have imaged several
thousand patients," he said. The technique is available now at major universities and
hospitals, Filler said, and is expected to become more widespread in the next
year or so.

While the study provides new clues to sciatica, experts say its results need
to be duplicated. When patients complain of sciatica, "we typically focus on
spinal nerves," explained Dr. Scott M. Fishman, president-elect of the
American Academy of Pain Medicine.

"This study helps clarify that pain that radiates down the back of the leg
is often of sciatic origin," Fishman said, and doctors should consider the
possibility that the pain may be due to entrapment of the sciatic nerve by the
piriformis muscle.

"Piriformis syndrome is pooh-poohed [as a diagnosis] by orthopedic surgeons
and neurosurgeons," added Dr. Peter Slabaugh, a spokesman for the American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. But the new findings, he said, "might have some
merit," although he said more studies with similar results are crucial before
firm recommendations can be made.

Those with sciatica should also know that the pain typically comes and goes,
Slabaugh said. Unless symptoms are very severe, waiting three months after
the pain starts before undergoing serious treatments such as surgery is usually
sound advice, he added.

If the pain doesn't subside after three months, patients would be wise to
then consider imaging studies of the spine and nerves, he added.

More information

To learn more about piriformis syndrome, visit the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke.



Sources: HealthDay

Lisa, no worries. This is a thread about cortisone shots and associated problems. So I don't think you'll be boring anyone if you go into detail here.

Most of us have knee problems or hip problems, or know someone who does.
10 years ago I would have found this thread tedious. I guess it's a sign of aging that I like to hear about solutions to medical problems.

I had cortisone shots in Sept. in both knees and they're still working, although wearing off a bit. My Family Doctor thinks I need arthoscopy surgery. However my Arthritis Doctor feels I can avoid surgery by having cortisone shots twice a year. The jury is out.

Hi Barefoot-
Thanks so much for your post! I love to read all of the posts now too (I'm sure it is because I am aging as well). I guess if someone isn't interested they can just skip the post. Certainly, don't want to turn into my grandmother who would go on and on about what ails her. The people on TOTV provide such wisdom and really help cut down on the doctor visits. I too have sufferred from piriformis syndrome and you have to stretch the pyriformis muscle, take antiflammatories and muscle relaxers. Get a tennis ball and roll on the muscle as well. If you have piriformis syndrome your gluet (sp) muscle will be tender to the touch. A good Chiropractor helps as well!

I'm reading this a couple of days before I'm to have a shot in my L4 and L5..have had significant sciatica for a few years with 2 or 3 "attacks" that really were bad. This last time was excruciating! I saw a neurosurgeon and also had a "burst" of steroids, muscle relaxants and vicodin (I think). I've heard the pro's and con's of the shot AND surgery (if warranted) this Piriformis Syndrome isn't something I've ever heard of. Might have to ask the doc about it!! I see people all over T.V. who seem to walk a bit like I do, so I'd bet back issues affect a large percentage of people who are aging. Oh...I've had the same diagnosis from MORE than one doc. I have "degenerative disc disease" and bone spurs and disc/bulging. Also have a condition called "spondylolythesis (too long to give the explanation of what it is). I see a chiropractor regularily and also get massages when I can!