Wellness

[RedTop]

I have had both injections. My cortisone injections were early on, and then again about halfway in my 13 year journey of debilitating knee pain. The early injections provided moderate relief; the last injections provided less than 24 hours of relief. When I consulted an orthopedic surgeon to discuss knee replacement, he recommended I give Synvisc a try, so that I could say I had tried every relief option available, before having the surgery. A topical numbing agent was applied prior to each of the 3 injections, which were spaced several weeks apart. All the Synvisc did for me was to give immediate, but short lasting relief to the chronic pain and tension in my knee. I was told to take it easy for the rest of the day after each injection, which meant that I worked 1/2 -3/4 of my work day, went to the doctors office for my shot, then came home instead of back to the office. The surgeon and I both knew that my knee was too far gone for high expectations from the injections, but it was worth the risk. I started the injections in April and finished in September. I had my surgical consult on Halloween, and set my surgery date for early January. I had an awesome experience with my knee replacement surgery and recovery, and have continued to move forward with my life. I allowed my suffering to go on far too long, and truly felt that if I did not have surgery, I would not be walking in another year. I absolutely was not going to let that happen, so I did what I had to do, and made it a good experience.

[Sunshine]

I had a cortisone injection in my right knee many years ago. My Dr. didn't numb my knee first and I almost passed out from the pain. And I didn't get any relief from the cortisone. But, many people experience pain relief from the injection. I ended up having knee surgery b/c my knee wouldn't bend and I could barely walk.

[chlema]

Had a cortisone shot last May, it lasted over 6 months. Nurse sprayed the area before the injection. No pain,just felt a pinch. Had a second shot last month but this one will not last as long as the first. Doctor suggests trying Euflexxa, a series of 3 shots a week apart. Eventually the knee will have to be replaced.

[Kachina624]

I've had cortisone injections in various joints many times. My doctors have first used a deadening injection rather than a spray. The big cortisone injection then doesn't hurt. The joint usually feels worse the next day due the trauma of sticking a needle into the area, then it starts to feel better. These injections rapidly lose their effectiveness after the first one until they're totally ineffective.

[Gooday]

I had a cortisone injection in my knee about 6 weeks ago. They sprayed a numbing agent at the site. I got about 10 days of wonderful relief but sadly... I am scheduled to get Monovisc injection on Monday. It's like Synvisc or Supartz but it's a one time injection. The injection/medication cost is $1,250.00 and my copay is $275.00. Part of that is my deductible. I am not medicare age yet.

Some doctors put xylocaine or lidocaine in with the cortisone. Either way, it only hurts a little when the needle goes in. Nothing that is horrible.

[Mmsfoxxie]

I had the Synvisc One injection in both knees in August. The doctor numbed me first but it still hurt like heck....just for a moment, though. I really think he just pretended to numb me, lol. I was able to walk fine the day I received the injections but the next day was difficult. On the third day, it felt much, much better. I was supposed to go for another round in 6 months, which would be about now but the pain has not gotten to the level that it was so I haven't called him. It's bearable.

[sfnative]

Yes, I have had a few cortisone injections in each knee, both hands and my left shoulder. The knee injections weren't effective for me because of the pathology that was evident in the joint, so don't let that figure into your decision. The others were great.

However, please know this: I have ALWAYS asked for the "freezing spray." I give it this generic term, so that everyone can understand what it is and the fact that if you use this term with your doc, he/she will know exactly what you're talking about.

So, if I were you and going into the office for a cortisone injection, I would let the doc know up front that, "I want you to use the freezing spray, please." This is so common, it would have to be something extremely unusual for your doc to say "No."

My bottom line is that if I see the little tray brought into the exam room with the bottle of cortisone, a hypodermic needle (or a hypodermic needle already prepped with the cortisone), 1 or 2 alcohol preps, a Band-Aid, and maybe a few 2x2s, which is placed on a Mayo stand, but I don't see a dark brown bottle with a trigger handle (that's the spray) sitting either on that Mayo stand or on the counter, I'm going to be sure to remind the doc that I DO want the "freezing spray."

Good luck!

[goodstuff]

I've had double knee replacements, and before the surgery I had cortisone injections in my knees several times. My doctor added a local anesthetic to the medication being injected, so the knee was deadened as the medications were injected, and the shot was minimally painful. No down time, and the shots helped my knee pain and inflammation for a while -- sometimes for just a week or two, sometimes for several weeks. I was told that I couldn't have cortisone injections too frequently, because too much cortisone could actually worsen the joint problems and hasten the breakdown of already damaged and disintegrating cartilage. A shot or two helped the pain for a short time, but I needed surgery to decisively address my knee problems.

I haven't had the Synovisc injections, but was told they wouldn't involve any significant down-time either.

[patticakes]

Thanks, everyone, for all the good info and advice. One more question, would you say, then, that there's more success with the injections if you don't wait until your knees get too bad? That's what I'm getting from most of these experiences and that's why I wanted to seek out the care of an ortho. specialist now rather than waiting until it was so bad that there were no options but surgery. Perhaps getting the injections will delay more serious treatment. What do you think?

[CalminHeart]

On 3/14/2015 patticakes said:

Thanks, everyone, for all the good info and advice. One more question, would you say, then, that there's more success with the injections if you don't wait until your knees get too bad? That's what I'm getting from most of these experiences and that's why I wanted to seek out the care of an ortho. specialist now rather than waiting until it was so bad that there were no options but surgery. Perhaps getting the injections will delay more serious treatment. What do you think?

A lot depends on what is wrong with your knee. An orthopedic surgeon may not think injections will help in some situations...and they might make a huge difference in others. I would listen to the advice of your specialist.